Forgotten is a Hellenic Black Metal band from Greece. August 28th, 2023. The band independently released their debut EP album, Whispers Of Existence, which includes six dispiritedness and despair tracks. December 16th, 2023, Whispers Of Existence was released through UKEM Records.
Introduction:
Forgotten, Whispers Of Existence: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of Whispers Of Existence
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Forgotten and their Whispers Of Existence album.
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Features intricate guitar work and melancholic melodies with thunderous rhythms -at times, clean passages are used. Meanwhile, the atmospheric keys and thunderous bass riffs fill in the void of darkness. The Second Sin, The Vocals: The vocals range from anguished to ethereal whispers to cathartic crescendos, all of which evoke a sense of introspection and despair in the listener’s ears and soul— simultaneously working together to provide a truly immersive experience. The Third Sin—The Percussions: Delves into a vast world of thunderous drum strikes, fills, and beats.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion: Plunge listeners into the depths of existential contemplation
The listener immediately presses the play button, and their ears and soul are introduced to the opening track titled, Is This The Gift You Call Life. The intense and unrelenting musical surge of aggression and brutalization that ensues is sure to captivate the ears of any listener.
As one continues their dark, haunting testament to the band’s relentless pursuit of atmospheric darkness, offering a glimpse into the enigmatic realms of the human psyche journey of the second track, The Illusion Of Truth, and the remaining four pieces. Where Forgotten music evokes a sad reflection that urges you to contemplate the essence of your existence, the lyrics delve into the intricacies of human life, exploring themes of isolation, introspection, and the internal struggles that come with being human. As you listen to this captivating and thought-provoking music, you can’t help but feel deeply moved by the raw emotions it evokes within you.
The instrumental and vocal artistry utilizes various tones, moods, and tempo changes to create a tapestry of intricate guitar and drum work with anguished vocals and ethereal whispers. It provides an auditory experience and a dense atmosphere surrounding and engulfs the listener’s ears and soul.
Despite the production being rough around the edges, this adds a perishing feeling, which only adds to the overall experience of the music.
Overall, Whispers Of Existence is a solid debut release; this fruit of art is delivered by fearsome and awe-inspiring devilmanship, providing the listener’s ears with six equally solid, strong-composed songs (each song/piece doesn’t sound the same) and music, the composing of the instruments/vocals (featuring guest members) are all executed well, and powerful! At the same time, the vocals in each song are skilfully crafted to convey the appropriate emotion, capturing the essence of each piece with various tones and ranges.
One thing to point out is that Forgotten is classed as “Hellenic Black Metal” -despite this, each piece has various tempos, song structure, mystical and epic, but misses out on the sun soak and possessed romance atmosphere. One would be found in some Greek Black Metal acts, but going for the raw and dark-melancholic and some depressive black metal vibe.
The album comes to an end with the last song, A Dream Within A Dream (A Tribute To Edgar Allan Poe), which greets the listener with a hauntingly beautiful combination of crystal-clear guitar melodies, ominous keyboard harmonies, and strikingly poignant vocal excerpts.
We want to give a shoutout to Forgotten for letting us review their Whispers Of Existence album. Now, we’re going to wrap it up by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
You’re Listening to “Whispers Of Existence”
PlayThe Last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins, our thoughts on Forgotten and their Whispers Of Existence album.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia: Is that for us, It is a testament to Forgotten‘s dedication to black metal, forging a connection between darkness and the essence of being, leaving an indelible mark upon the very fabric of existence.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
Stunning, evoking a sense of entrapment with its dark and cold hues. The piece transports you to a place that feels forsaken and devoid of hope, yet it holds an undeniable allure that draws you in and captivates the mind.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
Nothing to disrelish within the musical spectrum of Forgotten, and their album Whispers Of Existence.
This concludes the Forgotten, Whispers Of Existence review.
Track-Listing:
- Is This The Gift You Call Life
- The Illusion Of Truth
- Bound In Misery
- The Woods Of Torment
- Pilgrams Of An Unknown Future
- A Dream Within A Dream (Tribute To Edgar Allan Poe)
Forgotten is:
- For this EP, the lineup consisted of several session members, different from the current band’s lineup.
- Georgios Chatziioannidis – lyrics, vocals, guitars
- Kostas B. – guitars, guitar arrangements)
- Retrofornicator – bass
- V.A – drums
