A Forest of Stars - Shadowplay for Yesterdays (New Vinyl LP)

Double yellow vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. A Shadowplay For Yesterdays is the third album by A Forest of Stars. After last year's new editions of The Corpse Of Rebirth (2008) and Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring (2010), this record is the real Lupus Lounge / Prophecy Productions debut by the group. While their first two albums hinted at the huge potential of the collective, A Shadowplay... is aspiring for even greater things, surpassing itself in the process. As for the lyrics, this is another concept album, dealing with a man at odds with himself, torn between virtue and the path of blasphemous (self-) destruction. In terms of music, the Gentlemen's Club enters new realms. The eccentric and sinister compositions that are the trademark of A Forest of Stars are still the music's foundation, but at the same time, they lace their avant-garde black metal with influences from the rich musical heritage of Great Britain: epic doom riffs find their place alongside the melodics and playfulness of classic prog rock. As the highlight of it all, the Gentlemen's Club performs an alchemical miracle: despite it's musical diversity and complexity, A Shadowplay... is the band's most accessible and catchy album by far. Thus, A Forest of Stars do everything properly on A Shadowplay... Skillfully, they unite the trademarks of the past with new ideas for the future, and in doing so, they present the most important album of their discography to date.