OLD FOREST is an English black metal band who formed in 1998;  'Sutwyke' is their eighth full length. They have also released three demos, three EPs, and two compilations. OLD FOREST have always been great at creating black metal with an arcane touch of raw energy that is also atmospheric and even sometimes a little doomy. 'Sutwyke' continues this tradition although the doom elements have been dialed back considerably. There isn't anything wrong with this because the band, and album, still manages to produce fresh sounds and exciting songwriting. While this is definitely a more true black metal approach, there are elements mixed within that let the songs expand with little details. Keys are one of these elements.  They are not overused and tend to be very subtle and are regulated more to enhancing various moments, being another texture on the layers instead of having the songs centered around them.

Clean vocals are more frequently used as well, deep and mighty.  Rather than take away, they add to the album's style and are a welcomed addition. Once all these elements come together, the album really begins to reveal itself.  The album is definitely a musical one, centered around riffs and a strong rhythm section.  However, and this isn't a complaint, there aren't many standout moments among the individual songs.  As much as it is focused on providing straight up black metal, it also lives in another, more atmospheric world.  This is definitely an album that craves to be listened straight through to get the full effect.

The album opens with 'Faust Recants (Satan Cometh) and immediately settles into Beleth's corrosive riffs and the raspy, blackened vocals of Kobold. The overall tempo of the song is quite groovy until around the  2:05 mark, when the keys supply the music with an eerie touch.  The drums compliment this movement well before the band rips back into it again. 'Zodiac of Ware,' begins with the aforementioned clean vocals. This song alternates between a slow and mid pace tempo, with the cleans accenting the slower parts and the blackened ones appearing during the heavier, mid paced moments.  The last half of the song is very interesting with spoken word being used over the increasingly aggressive riffs.

'Master of Arachnids," is one of the best songs on the album because it echoes my statement from earlier.  I like every piece of this song, the riffs in particular are rousing, but I can also just ignore the individual elements and get lost in the overall atmosphere if so I choose. A highlight is around the 3:48 mark when the song changes to frantic, subtle keys backing up the searing guitar before it settles back into the feeling of darkness unbound. 'Effigies to the Flames,' is a hell of an album finisher.  It is immediately on point, urgent, and aggressive.  The riffs are absolutely harrowing and the vocals trade off between clean and blackened shrieks in a very effective manner. The melodic solo in the middle is a nice touch and find it's home among the chaos and helps it return to it smoothly.

All in all, OLD FOREST provides yet another entertaining black metal album by staying true to their vision of taking the genre's much valued tropes and twisting them into some new and engaging.