Hailing from the Black Country section of England,
Dark Forest's inspired metal crusading reached fantastical heights on third album
The Awakening. The album begins with a reading from a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley before immediately diving headfirst into the band's dual guitar lead sound, recalling
Iron Maiden,
Angel Witch, and other bands included in the original New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Also noticeably folky, there's a heavily mystical sense that runs throughout the album, as well as nods to the anthemic qualities and flights of fantasy that are more common in power metal. ~ Fred Thomas