Forest of Impaled - Forward the Spears CD Review

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2004-09-04 : Patrick : Link
Here we have the American black metal quartet known as Forest of Impaled. "Forward the Spears", being their third opus, delivers a much punchier and sophisticated offering than their predecessors. Of course that's not exactly saying that they don't have that somewhat "raw-cold" black/death metal feel. They do have that, but they have a bit of a death metal raunchiness as well, making them more interesting than most. The title track, Forward the Spears, displays a well-rounded tightness of the band. From the typical intro sample to mind-blowing aggression to a bass interlude to more samples to more mind-blowing aggression and back again to sword-play samples which goes right into the next track!! Definitely a more mature approach this time around. I've always thought of Forest of Impaled as a rather low-budget black/death metal band with little to offer. I stand corrected yet again. Fans of early-Morbid Angel, Deicide, Marduk, and of those speed-derived sorts, will be pleased with what they hear!!

Rating: 84
2003-12-24 : Roberto Martinelli : Link
It’s been a while since the extreme metal world heard anything from Forest of Impaled. Thankfully, despite a long layoff and some personnel change frustration, the band have lost no steam in building on their great Demonvoid record.

Orcs are cool. And if you’re going to watch the second installment of the "Lord of the Rings" movie, the part with the attack on Helm’s Deep, with the sound turned off, then there isn’t a better album to put on than Forward the Spears.

It’s a perfect album title, really. Images of spiked implements of war wielded by barbaric, inhuman hordes as they roll like waves over the hilly countryside come up throughout the album’s 10 tracks. New drummer Duane Timlin (of Judas Iscariot fame) greatly contributes to the mood with rumbling drum work that features a strong medieval military vibe.

As always, Forest of Impaled incorporates some melody in their music every now and again. And as always, it works both in pacing the album and in the melodies themselves. Forest of Impaled has always been somewhere between the US and European styles of blackened death, and they take the best elements from all to make something original and worthwhile. I’ve been listening to Forward the Spears a lot lately - more than anything else, for that matter. You will, too. Recommended. (8.5/10)
2003-09-06 : pm : Link
Title: Forward the Spears
Artist: Forest of Impaled Date: 06.09.2003


We like this too, oh yes we do. Bal Sagoth finally have some competition in the Battle Metal arena, and let’s be fair it’s long overdue as they’ve hogged it to themselves for almost 10 years now. Chicago based, these guys have been going for almost ten years now and appear to have been one of America’s better kept secrets.

Louder, faster and heavier seems to be the way forward for these guys as they pulverise every living thing that comes into contact with these ten tracks. “Forward the Spears” is one of the most mature offerings in a long time from across the Atlantic on this side of metal. While the best in Death has always been their province, it appears that Forest of Impaled may offer hope of some great Black/Battle metal to come.



Stand out tracks include “The Fall of the Trinity” and “The Hand of Vengeance” and the lyrics are well composed by Marcus Kolar and well sung too. The drums are particularly prominent in the mix and the guitar work is also first rate. I doubt these guys will tour in the UK anytime soon so “Forward the Spears” may be your only chance to check them out.
Label: Red Stream Records

Cat Nr: RSR-0617

www.redstream.org
2003-09-01 : PM
FOREST OF IMPLED (Usa) "Forwards The Spears" CD'03. 10 tracks, 41 min. Red
Stream
What a great band name ! The 10 tracks are astounding and energic
Death/Black Metal. You're simply blown away by a sustained tempo. The resume
fast riffs with warlike drumming without falling into boring blast beasts.
The works on guitar is pretty impressing as they links brutal typical
Floridian D.M riffs with fearful low speed B.M ideas (i.e. : "The Fall OF
The Trinity"). Here and there some high tone harmonics are dropped as if The
Lord tore the riffs apart. A tremendous release with a worth production.
2003-08-18 : PM : Link
Forest Of Impaled – Forward The Spears
Red Stream Records – RSR-0167 – 2003
By Russell Garwood

Chicago’s Forest Of Impaled play battle-influenced death/black, taking the ferocity and energy of death, with the atmosphere of black metal and adding war-themed lyrics and sound effects. The machine gun fire double bass and frantic fills of drummer Duane Timlin are accompanied by the very death-influenced guitar work of Marek Trela and Adrian Adamus. Marcus M Kolars’ bass is not very prominent, in juxtaposition to his varied and extreme vox, which range between guttural growls, more black metal-orientated screams and slower rasps. Occasional spoken passages are excellent, tending to be of a faster pace than many black metal recitations, adding originality to an otherwise prosaic but entertaining sound.

Their music harbours relentless aggression and, if you are not a fan of the sound can become monotonous. This is eased by solid song-writing and the quality riffage, and while there is nothing new here, many fans of black death will appreciate its charms. The production is slightly raw, but solid – just what the harsh music needs, and "Forward The Spears" is an entertaining release.
2003-08-11 : PM : Link
"Those who wait for something good... Chicago natives
Forest Of Impaled have been rather quiet since they
released their debut full-length album "Demonvoid"
back in 1999. Still on the Red Stream label they have
finally been able to produce a worthy follow-up named
"Forward The Spears". It all begins with the powerful
title track which immediately set the pace for what is
a 40 minutes long journey through the darklands where
only death resides. It is intense and extreme but
Forest Of Impaled manage to perform their own mix of
black and death metal with a nice touch of stylish
riffing and display a good amount of song writing
skills. Having been active since 1994 they have become
a tight terror squad to be reckoned with and this
shows on their new album. They know how to create a
dark and brooding atmosphere which is very important
when it comes to this kind of music. The vocalist has
a pretty strong black metal voice but I am not that
fond of the few spoken sections. Forest Of Impaled
doesn't exactly strike me as an amazing band with the
ambition to create something new but their
old-fashioned extreme metal does appeal to me. The
album is very dynamic and never becomes excessively
boring or monotonous. Perhaps the production could
have been done better but that is not everything. An
album for those of you who think old-school is the
only real thing."


Rating: 7 out of 10
2003-08-07 : Thesaultmusicscene.com : Link
Holy shit, this album is fuckin' intense. This record showcases some of the most impressive death metal I have had the privilage of listening to. The drumming is rapid & agressive and sets the stage for each of the 10 tracks on "Forward the Spears".

The guitar work is pretty impressive as well. At times it gets very technical, but they give it 110% full force ahead, not looking back, waiting for anyone or anything. The vocals on the other hand seem to fit the music almost perfectly. Vocalist Marcus Kolar has several different ranges of singing, integrating a higher raspy scream, with a deep gutteral growl throughout various verses.

This album comes off sounding like the band is traveling headfirst into battle, with a take no prisoners style attitude. Pounding rythms, lightning quick guitar work and classic death metal vocals, make this an album any fan of this genre should pick up.

Favorite Song: Forward the Spears
2003-07-23 : Jason
Forest of Impaled, as noted by the other reviewers have taken their own style of blackened war metal and combined it with the best elements of death metal to create a sound that is unrivaled by any other American band in the genre.
In fact, Forward the Spears is one of the year's best albums from anywhere in the world. "Thy mightly servant" has got to be one of the most brutal, complex and excellent songs I have ever had the pleasure of damaging my eardrums to.
Fast, evil, an amazing vocalist who has more than one style of spewing forth his blashemous lyric, one of the best drummers I have ever heard and the guitarist is simply incredible!
Bye this cd or miss out on one of this year's true blackened death metal gems!
2003-07-22 : Anonymous Coward
Over in the States, the unsung Forest of Impaled’s brand of BM-leaning DM is just as gnarly as the gnarliest of pure BMs, if not more so – and, by extension, proving that USBM is perhaps the gnarliest around. Their latest ‘Forward the Spears’ proves this out, a forever-jackhammering spurn of cranky‘n’cauterized thrash-riffing and metronome-gone-haywire drum-battery – and, really, who’s gonna deny songs
that begin with battle-cries of ‘Blood’ and ‘Attack!’’ ?!
2003-07-15 : Anonymous Coward : Link
Forest of Impaled have just about perfected the blackened death metal sound, with an emphasis on the death metal. Everything they do is high energy and even higher aggression. The drummer sounds more like a battering ram than a human. His almost constant double bass blast beat barrage pretty much sets the stage. The rest of the band offer exactly what you'd expect to be built upon the drummer's hyper speed timekeeping. The guitars chug out brutal riff after brutal riff of blackened chaos with a decidely death metal influence. The frontdemon displays a few different ranges in his growl.
Forest of Impaled seem to write music with conviction that few others lack. Many death metal songs sound uninspired, but the crop of tracks on "Forward the Spears" sound very intentional and very disturbed. Leading off with a rallying war march intro (orchestrated), I got the feeling that this might be something symphonic, but after about ten seconds, hell is unleashed and it takes another ten tracks before it is finally brought under control again.

"Forward the Spears" is the perfect album title for this record. Forest of Impaled play music for war.