Label: Prophecy Productions
Release date: April 11th, 2025
Somewhere along the banks of the Otra River, beneath the heavy gray skies of Kristiansand, a man walks alone. His past is a mist-shrouded memory, his future a winding current leading into the unknown. The river has whispered to him since childhood, murmuring tales of forgotten gods, forsaken love, and the inexorable passage of time. Now, with each step along the water’s edge, he finds the echoes of his own soul woven into the melodies of “Otra”, the latest opus by Norway’s avant-garde veterans, In The Woods…
Much like the river from which it takes its name, Otra is both a relentless force and a catalyst for metamorphosis. Now in its third incarnation, the band has crafted an album that honors its blackened roots while embracing a daring evolution of melody and progression. This duality is evident from the very first notes of the opening track, “The Things You Shouldn’t Know”, which sets the tone for the album’s sonic flow. Smooth, soaring vocal melodies crest like waves against a surging tide of black metal-infused guitars, capturing the essence of Otra in perpetual motion.
As our lone wanderer follows the river’s course, he is drawn into the introspective shadows of “A Misrepresentation of I”, where the band deftly balances aggression and serenity. This track, much like the river’s deceptive calm, lulls the listener into reflection before surging into torrents of sonic complexity. It is a testament to the band’s craftsmanship, with layers of progressive elements intertwining with their signature melancholic grandeur.
With “The Crimson Crown”, the album plunges into mythic storytelling, weaving a regal tragedy where grandeur and doom intertwine like reflections on a darkened river. This song transforms the weight of rulership into something eerie and inescapable. It is a power not won through ambition but imposed like a whispered curse. The crimson crown is more than a symbol; it is the mark of a fate sealed in deep waters, where the past drags like unseen hands beneath the surface.
At its heart stands a reluctant ruler, poised before the river where Nøkken, the water spirit, awaits. Shifting forms and murmuring cryptic truths, the spirit embodies the inevitability of fate. The river itself speaks with a voice as smooth as rippling waves yet weighted with destiny. A desperate plea escapes the ruler’s lips: “Just leave me be / I don’t want this”. But the depths offer no mercy, answering with an inescapable command: “It’s time to wear the crown”. As the waters pull them under, the refrain, “The die is cast”, resounds like a final breath before submersion, a chilling confirmation that fate has already taken hold.
Musically, “The Crimson Crown” mirrors this struggle, shifting between quiet resignation and towering defiance, much like the moment before Nøkken drags its victim beneath the water. Lines such as “The shackles bind and bite / Just like the crimson crown” evoke the grip of unseen currents, an unavoidable pull toward something both majestic and monstrous. As the song swells to its climax, a haunting question lingers: Is power a gift or a lure leading only to ruin? One of the album’s most emotionally gripping moments, “The Crimson Crown” does not simply tell a story. It immerses the listener in its weight, its sorrow, and its inevitable descent.
Meanwhile, “Let Me Sing” emerges as the album’s radiant centerpiece, cutting through the fog with clarity and grace. A song of both acceptance and defiance, it blends soaring guitars and atmospheric synths, creating an ethereal space for Fjellestad’s voice to soar. The track carries a sense of catharsis, a realization that the river flows relentlessly forward, indifferent and eternal.
The journey nears its end with “The Wandering Deity”, a closing hymn that echoes the album’s overarching sentiment: that existence itself is transient, shaped by forces beyond our understanding. It is the perfect conclusion to an album that does not simply tell stories, but rather immerses the listener in them, much like the river that inspired it.
In The Woods… have crafted a record that is both deeply personal and mythically grand. This is an album of passage and transformation, a reflection of a band that has endured the ravages of time and emerged stronger, wiser, and more captivating than ever. It invites the listener to stand upon its shores, to lose themselves in its currents, and ultimately, to let go. For those willing to surrender to the flow, “Otra” is not just an album, it is a winding river of sound.
