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This one came out of the blue. Forlorn are still around, and this was their debut from '96. With a name like that, I was expecting something doomy and gloomy, but this is far from the boo-hoo stuff the name implies.

This is pretty damn cool folky Black metal in the general vein of bands like Mithotyn, though there is an epic quality to the songs that brings Summoning to mind here and there. The riffing is heavily folk-inflected and very good, vocals are of the dry rasp species, and there is a lot of keyboard activity. Despite some comparisons, Forlorn don't really sound like Dimmu or Emperor, as they are really too mellow for that. This is almost all midpaced, and some of the purely instrumental tracks ("The Magellanic Clouds", "Lunar Eclipse") invoke an almost 'Hearts of Space' kind of vibe. So this is not raw, necro, or aggressive really, but the riffing is really good, and the songs are uniformly inventive and entertaining.

I understand that since this album Forlorn have ditched the nods to Viking Metal and embraced a more modern sound, but I haven't heard so I can't say. This album, however, is a cool disc well deserving some space on your shelf if you like Folk or atmospheric Black Metal. Recommended.