"Pure" is the latest release from Norwegian Dark Metal band IN THE WOODS.... IN THE WOODS... haven't released a full-length record since the year 2000 and the comeback has been unforeseen by nearly everybody. IN THE WOODS... was formed after the break-up of Death Metal act GREEN CARNATION after their main guitar player left to join EMPEROR. IN THE WOODS... follows the same progression as GREEN CARNATION; a band who originated in the extreme Metal subgenre but began to get a lot more melodic and darker-sounding as the years went on. "Pure" is also a dedication to the group's late guitarist Oddvar Moi, who passed away from heart complications in 2013.

Anyone who has been keeping up with GREEN CARNATION since the early 2000's will find a lot of "Pure" to be strikingly familiar. A lot of the tone and characteristics of these songs align more with Gothic Metal and Gothic Rock than extreme genres like Black Metal and Death Metal. There are a couple of parts in songs like "The Recalcitrant Protagonist" where there are movements that are more blackened-sounding than the majority of this record, but these are few and far between.

I think the album really excels in its production quality. Every instrument sounds crystal clear and the vocal mixing is really interesting. There is a heavy overcast over even the most melodic songs on "Pure" that give each song its dreary feel. There is also a very 90's feel to the production of these songs. For instance, there are a lot of songs on here that are reminiscent of BORKNAGAR's earlier material on here. Other than GREEN CARNATION, I would say that BORKNAGAR is another band you would have to be into to truly appreciate this music.

The vocals, although powerful and soaring, start to lose its appeal after a while. It makes sitting through the entire album a bit difficult. Although James Fogarty is a talented vocalist, his melodramatic vocal styling paired with the bizarre themes of the lyrics make the vocal layer on each song an oddity. I think the band wants to become closer to a heavy Progressive Rock band and distance themselves from their extreme roots, similar to what bands like ENSLAVED and KATATONIA have done. This direction towards the realm of the progressive is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the music is kept interesting and it smoothly shifts styles of playing. On the other hand, because of the extensive track lengths, it seems quite pretentious after a while and instead of getting the feeling like the band is telling a story through music, you just get the sense of "look what we can do". The artistic angle isn't striking enough to keep things interesting.

"Pure" is anything but. It isn't a bad album but it has enough impurities to the composition that make it a minor disappointment. Outside of the fan bases for artists like BORKNAGAR, ENSLAVED and GREEN CARNATION, I cannot think of any other particular audiences I could recommend this to. I think the band gave a whole-hearted effort on "Pure" but I was just not feeling it.