Sinkadotentree This was IN THE WOODS... third and last studio album released in 1999. Man i love the mood these guys(and Synne) create in their music. That heavy and melancholic style that is dark and depressing. This one does come across as being more experimental than "Omnio" and it has grown to become for me as good as "Omnio". "Cell" is an incredible ride with Synne's vocals and that dark and brooding soundscape including strings at times. Intense. "Vanish In The Absence Of Truth" is a slow and lava-like tune as the low end guitars grind away and Transit comes in with his vocals. So good ! A top three. "Basememnt Corridors" is strange in stereo indeed. An atmospheric track with Synne's eerie vocals. This is like something out of a Horror movie. "Ion" is almost doom-like and when it kicks in after 2 minutes it's pure bliss. The rest of the album is killer. "Generally More Worried Than Married" is a top three as well.This is the longest track at almost 9 minutes. "Path Of The Righteous" is very bass heavy, in fact my speakers are vibrating. I love when it picks up with male vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. "Dead Man's Creek" continues the heaviness. A haunting calm with strings after 3 minutes then it kicks in again but not as heavy and with female vocals this time. Amazing ! How good is the beginning of "Titan Transcendence" ! Favourite part of the album for me that lasts over 1 1/2 minutes. "By The Banks Of Pandemonium" begins with Transit saying "Let's get this monster rolling". Another dark, slow and heavy tune and my final top three. Obviously i love this band's style and sound and highly recommend either this album or their "Omnio" recording.

Warthur Strange In Stereo finds In the Woods once again trying to find a progressive take on the gothic metal sound originally set forth by the likes of Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. This time, the influence of gothic rock is even more apparent, to the point where some of the male vocals sound like a shaky impression of Andrew Eldritch from the Sisters of Mercy - and since Andrew Eldritch's singing style tends to sound like a bad impression of David Bowie, the ultimate impression given is of a bad photocopy of a bad photocopy.

And that, to be honest, is what the music sounds like too - a stab at a style of metal which at the time was getting moderate commercial returns and a glowing critical reception, without really producing something that convinces me that the band's hearts are in it. I'll stick to the debut, thanks.

Phonebook Eater Norwegian band "In The Woods" releases in 1999, after the near perfect "Omnio", "Strange In Stereo", their last, triumphant album. And I must say, I expected something a lot worse. This is a great, haunting album, with songs that easily beat some of Omnio's songs.

If "Omnio" was a journey through man's inner fears, "Strange In Stereo" is a journey through the most concrete of our fears, a terrifying trip in the deep dungeons of the night. As I made clear, the album is extremely dark, tense, doomy, sinister, but also haunting, passionate, and a little dreamy in some moments. The structure of the album is enjoyable, but the idea of many, short songs (eleven in total), didn't exactly thrill me, especially because I knew the concept of the album before even listening to it.

Some songs are amazing: the first song, "Closing In", is a tense, heavy song, with heavy guitars and dramatic vocals, typical of the band. "Cell" is another terrific song, with haunting melodies, calm but very sinister atmosphere, and great experimentation and performance by the female vocalist. "Generally More Worried...." is another masterpiece, the longest and most distorted song of the album. Some passages here are unforgettable, the vocals are sublime. Awesome song. "Path Of The Righteous" is another one of my favorites, a great intro, great, dark melody, awesome experimentation and arrangements. "Titan Transcendence" is the last great song. Here the arrangements are what really make the song so amazing.

The rest of the songs are all good, but not as much worth mentioning as these above.

An excellent addiction to any prog or metal, but be prepared to be overflowed by darkness.