FORSAKEN RITE
The Forgotten West (EP)
Forged on the bitterly cold plains of Edmonton, Alberta, it’s little wonder that Canadian folk metal band FORSAKEN RITE’s songcraft has its roots firmly embedded in their northern heritage and out amongst the wild landscapes they call home. This vast backdrop fused together with ancient folklore and tales of heroic deeds allows their brand new EP “The Forgotten West” to be the perfect follow up to their previous 2017 release “The Northern Saga.” It is very much a bard like recounting of tales involving daring adventures and long forgotten battles from a distant past.
Ursa’s beautiful and often sultry vocals in “The Forgotten West” are meticulously melded together with brutish death growls to generate a savage conflict that is not just for your heart, but for the absolute control of your ears and mind too. The clever combination of modern and traditional instruments in “The Forgotten West” enchantingly weave an authentic through the ages wall of sound to more than match the fire and brimstone harder metal edge.
Emotions run deep throughout “The Forgotten West” with songs like “Fire Circle” conjuring up images of long forgotten sacrificial rituals and Meade induced mesmerising longhouse dances in the wooden halls of old. Whereas rolling in with power and fury “The Storm” does just that as stirs up warlike emotions of pending doom and the fight that lies ahead.
The title track itself paints a vivid picture of eras long since gone as visions of smoky campfire stories and legendary warriors spring to life once more whilst “How Long Is Forever?” gives the illusion of being much more magical, mystical, and steeped in ancient Paganism.
Rounding things off a “Call To War” raises the temperature to melting point as we are encouraged to put on our armour, pick up our shield and take up our Warhammer to join our comrades in arms. A great final journey that is sadly over way too quickly but hopefully ends well with a full drinking horn and a meeting with our forefathers in the great halls of Valhalla!
“The Forgotten West” really does invoke in us some very primeval and basic human instincts which then allows us to reach out across the vast swathes of history and time to reconnect with our long since departed ancestors once again. If you like me love a bit of folk metal, then you will absolutely love “The Forgotten West” and the raw sound of FORSAKEN RITE, so make sure you check it out when it drops. Highly recommended.
Mark Waight