Finsterforst

For more than two decades, Finsterforst have been dragging folk metal deeper into the German wilderness. Formed in the Black Forest in 2004, the band built their early sound around harsh vocals, sweeping melodies, and an accordion attack you don’t often find in metal. Over time, however, the fireside revelry receded. Albums such as Rastlos, Mach dich frei, and Zerfall grew darker, longer, and more ambitious, transforming Finsterforst from a traditional folk-metal band into something closer to a blackened progressive force of nature. Still is the culmination of that journey. Their first full-length album since 2019 brings nearly 80 minutes of blackened riffs, orchestration, choirs, acoustic passages, and accordion. It is an ambitious and challenging undertaking built around big sounds and even bigger compositions.

“Obduktion” establishes that scale immediately. Clean voices and acoustic textures rise through the mist before drums, harsh vocals, and enormous choral arrangements come crashing through the forest. Vocalist Olli Berlin sounds like a pagan priest barking through a ritual. Soaring clean vocals contrast with the guttural verses, while choral singing adds to the song’s scope. It moves through multiple layers, with accordion and quiet, clean passages breaking up the metallic roar.

“Herbstwanderung” follows with one of the album’s most evocative pieces. The title suggests an autumn hike, though this is no cheerful stroll through the falling leaves. Bass and drums give the song a surprisingly upbeat, physical groove, while choirs and orchestration expand around it. It moves briskly with the wind at its back before veering off the path into doomier, more sinister interludes. That tension between pace and grandeur defines much of Still. Finsterforst write huge compositions, but the music rarely remains in one place for long. “Im Wind” shifts between blackened aggression, clean harmonies, accordion, and cinematic orchestration, while “Stille Nacht” delivers the album’s most immediate chorus. The latter is melodic enough to remain lodged in the skull and is definitely the album’s most headbangable track.

The shorter “Knie nieder” is particularly welcome amid these sprawling pieces. Its stop-start riffing and martial chorus bring the album briefly down into the dirt and grit. Finsterforst are impressive when constructing vast musical landscapes, but they can still land a direct blow when they choose. “Fels” provides a necessary change of mood. Built around acoustic guitars and clean vocals, it feels almost intimate beside the surrounding monuments. That restraint and vulnerability help highlight the record’s more bombastic passages. The quiet interlude provides breathing space and a valuable sense of perspective.

Then comes “Leere,” the album’s true finale: a 24-minute journey through crushing riffs, solemn choirs, acoustic interludes, accordion, and progressive shifts in mood. It asks a great deal of the listener, and those allergic to long-form metal may begin eyeing the exit before the halfway mark. Yet its length rarely feels arbitrary. The piece rises and falls in waves, with the accordion briefly dancing above the ruins before another groove pulls everything underground. It is certainly excessive, but Finsterforst without excess would be like Odin without his ravens. The band no longer sounds as though it is combining folk metal, black metal, and progressive music. Those elements have fused into a language entirely their own, something they fittingly call Black Forest Metal.

The two closing covers function as substantial epilogues. Immortal’s “Beyond the North Waves” is the more natural choice. Its glacial grandeur, seafaring momentum, and heroic melancholy already lie close to Finsterforst’s territory. Rather than dismantling the original, the band thickens it with orchestral depth, accordion, and its own immense vocal presence.

Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” is the stranger proposition. It is also a song so heavily covered that approaching it should probably require planning permission. Finsterforst begin in atmospheric, almost doom-laden territory before driving it into heavier and more forceful terrain. The arrangement is entertaining and recognizably theirs, though it feels more like an audacious encore than part of the album’s emotional core.

At nearly 80 minutes, Still is a demanding listen. Finsterforst’s dense layering can occasionally cause individual moments to lose some of their impact, and listeners who prefer concise songs and conventional structures may find the album excessive. However, its length and complexity are supported by genuine emotional depth. Still finds Finsterforst at their most expansive: savage, mournful, melodic, and highly ambitious. It is a powerful and carefully constructed album, even if its scale will not appeal to every listener.

As an aside, should you find yourself thinking, “Uh-oh, a pagan black-metal band., I wonder whether I should be supporting this,” you can breathe easily. Finsterforst are not that kind of right-wing band. In fact, they have been associated with left-leaning and environmental themes, causes, and charities. Wander into the Black Forest with a clear conscience and a stout staff, and lose yourself.