LET’S JUST CALL WOODS OF YPRES “WOODS OF AWESOME”

I have no idea how to pronounce “Ypres,” so for the time being I’m just going to refer to Canadian dark metallers Woods of Ypres as Woods of Awesome, ’cause duh, I think they’re pretty great. Woods of Awesome combine dark, plodding doom with a sense of melancholy — yow, piano! Peter Steele-esque ball-dropping vocals! — that pulls at your heart-strings in all the right ways without sacrificing a shred of heaviness. The Type O Negative influence is definitely undeniable, although by no means are Woods of Awesome derivative; think Type O at their darkiest, doomiest, slowest and saddest. They’re without a doubt one of the most interesting bands Earache has signed in… in… quite some time, that’s for sure.

Earache will reissue Woods IV: The Green Album on March 22nd to let the broader metal world know what Woods of Awesome are all about. The album is full of great tunes, although at nearly 80 minutes it will surely test your patience as it did mine. I’m most excited, though, to hear what the band does with its follow-up Woods V, supposedly already in the can and slated for release later in the year.

Check out the video for “I Was Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetary” exclusively at The Deciblog. It’s my favorite track from the album and the video is appropriately creepy.

-VN