Black metal has always been steeped in over-the-top drama, no matter how grim and  frostbitten some of the progenitors claimed to be. Even at its rawest, least polished, the music served to get one’s blood flowing, the adrenaline spiking, and the mind to wander elsewhere, even if that was simply a dank, pissy basement.

British force A Forest of Stars feels like a band that could have been relevant in the plague-filled Dark Ages, the pestilence in the air, no remedy anywhere in site, rats crawling over fallen bodies. Instead, they exist alongside of us, and their new record “Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface” is another extravagant, theatrical experience spread over six tracks and 74 minutes that are immersive, terrifying, often humorous, and mentally twisted. The band—Mister Curse (vocals), Katheryne “Queen of the Ghosts” (vocals, violin, flute), TS Kettleburner (guitars, vocals),  William Wight-Barrow (guitars, lap steel), Titus Lungbutter (bass), John “The Resurrectionist” Bishop (drums), The Gentleman (keyboards, percussion, samples)—isn’t cemented to black metal, as they offer folk, classical horrors, prog, and even modern rock strains to their bubbling cauldron that is overflowing but flavorful.

“Ascension of the Clowns” is moody, strings sweeping, surging as Mister Curse’s scalding words strike, urgency bathing in blood. The playing stirs harder as the vocals grow more manic, the intensity relenting, a lone flute haunting, the violin piercing. There’s a melody that sounds astoundingly like one at the tail end of SubRosa’s “Despair Is a Siren” that I kept thinking of that song. It’s assuredly a coincidence. “Street Level Vertigo” has a dizzying tone, Mister Curse sounding like a prisoner in a tower, his rants raining down on the village. Crazed playing heats and even sounds more like indie rock in spots, and then the vocals ripple with anger, Katheryne’s singing injecting further drama, her voice mixing with the fiery diatribes, the lead soaring into unhinged winds. “Mechanically Separated Logic” drips, psychotic liquids that thicken, and keys glaze as Mister Curse’s voice taunts, guitars pushing as sounds clash. The bass flexes as spirits rise, the vocals wrapping cords around their own neck, strings quivering and swooning, the melodies mesmerizing. The tempo relaunches, the vocals striking again, violins committing the final stab.

“Roots Circle Usurpers” starts folkishly, pedal steel weeping, the playing taking on a Midwestern vibe. The ferocity arrives as deranged vocals attack wildly, spellbinding playing makes the room spin, the guitars fire harder, and Katheryne’s singing soars through the streets as the energy digs deeper. “Ashes in the eye of the storm,” Mister Curse wails, storming harder and weirder, the final strains ringing out. “Sway, Draped in Vague” is the longest track, running 17:01, a jazzy feel cooling the air, Katheryne’s singing sending chills down your spine. A huge burst pushes you back, the emotion welling as Mister Curse emotes, hypnotic melodies locking their arms around you, settling into a breezier groove. The explosion blinds, Mister Curse howling as the rest of the band surrounds him, drums pummeling, fevers rising, Katheryne calling out, the cure never arriving. Closer “Not Drinking Water” has strings creating a strange cloud, the keys falling as Mister Curse speak sings, guitars bubbling as the tension builds. An elegant rupture spits colors, the chorus gushes before a brief pause arrives, and a blacker beast claws out from the other side. Mister Curse unleashes some Gollum-esque tirades, buzzing guitars gathering as the heat increases, keys and strings melding, a hearty stretch fading into centuries ago.

“Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface,” much like A Forest of Stars, is like nothing else you’re going to hear this year, a slab of gothic, black metal drama that never relents. This is more fitting on an old, elegant, mossy stage rather than a metal show, and everything on this album demands and captures your attention. It’s funny, disturbing, upsetting, and impossible to ignore, a creation that sounds and looks different every time.

For more on the band, go here: https://a-forest-of-stars.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/en/Artists/A-Forest-Of-Stars/A-Forest-Of-Stars-Stack-Overflow-In-Corpse-Pile-Interface.html

For more on the label, go here: https://en.prophecy.de/