In the Woods… - Otra (2025)

As one of our favorite bands back in the late 90’s, In the Woods… is a band that has always been evolving and rediscovering themselves. Even with Anders Kobro being the only original member, “Otra” delivers yet another masterful release of highly melancholic Metal music with a healthy mix of melody and heaviness. Featuring seven tracks and 46 minutes of music, the band returns with their signature style and plenty of catchiness to release one of the most intoxicating releases of 2025.

Opening with “The Things You Shouldn't Know”, you get a healthy mix of the band’s ‘newer’ emotional sensitivities with fast paced heavy passages that bring back the “Omnio” and “Heart of the Ages” feeling. Bernt Fjellestad’s vocals again deliver those very dramatic and hypnotic clean vocals that he surprised everybody with on “Diversum”, after James Fogarty left the band. At first we were skeptical of this change, but he has demonstrated both live with the old material, and on the new studio album that he was the perfect fit for the job.

Keeping things rolling, the catchiness of songs like “A Misrepresentation Of I”, alongside its subtle atmospherics shows the band at their best. While other tracks like “The Crimson Crown”, “The Kiss and the Lie”, and “Let Me Sing”, just ease the listener with their sweet melodies while hammering away with some blistering harsh passages. Are we listening to Black Metal?Dark Metal?Gothic Metal?, or even Progressive Rock? Well, this is a bit of everything and then some, while keeping that whole In the Woods… mystique intact.

As the album comes to a close with “The Wandering Deity”, and “Come Ye Sinners”, we continue to be amazed on how much we loved this release and how it perfectly continues the bands trajectory and signature style. There is definitely something for everybody in “Otra”, and keeps the band’s legacy growing thanks to their masterful songwriting and ability to mix styles, genres, and ideas in very cohesive and yet diverse ways.This is one of our early candidates for best album of 2025, so make sure to check it out.

Label: Prophecy Productions

Release: April 18th, 2025

Genre: Melodic Metal / Dark Rock

Country: Norway