CoC : In the Woods... - Three Times Seven on a Pilgrimage : Review

In the Woods... - _Three Times Seven on a Pilgrimage_
(Prophecy Productions, 2000)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)

At the time perhaps unknowingly, with the release of _TTSoaP_ this very talented and rather unique Norwegian band prematurely closed the circle of their career. They might not like my representing of their career as something so linear as a circle, but there has been a great sense of symmetry in ItW's career due to the three 7" vinyl EPs collected and re-released in CD format as _Three Times Seven on a Pilgrimage_. This because each of these 7" EPs came out successively after each of ItW's three full-length albums. This collection has now been released after what now turns out to be the final album/EP pair is out -- but -not- after the final full-length album that should have come out after the last EP release, as ever before, and could have been a masterpiece. If you start at one eighth of the circle, you have _HEart of the Ages_; advancing by one eighth at a time, you have one EP and one album (_Omnio_ and _Strange in Stereo_) successively until you reach seven eighths, where the masterpiece that now will never be should have been placed; and then "midnight", where this collection of EPs stands. The symmetry is now broken; far worse, the second masterpiece will be left undone. And if you feel I'm just rambling on this review, well, I probably am. Still, if we leave all that aside, ItW produced not only _Omnio_ and two very good albums in the shape of its predecessor _HEart of the Ages_ and successor _Strange in Stereo_, they also released three very noteworthy vinyl EPs featuring strongly ItW-tinged cover versions and unreleased material (including the excellent "Karmakosmik" from the _Omnio_ sessions), and that is what you can find on _Three Times Seven on a Pilgrimage_, with all the unmistakable emotional male/female vocals, expressive guitars and unique doomy atmosphere. Too bad ItW's symmetry has been forever broken... but obviously what is really bad is that it's been broken due to the band's untimely demise.

(article published 20/11/2000)

CHATS
19/5/1999	P Azevedo	In the Woods...: ...of Delightful Melancholy

ALBUMS
30/1/2004	P Azevedo	8	In the Woods... - Live at the Caledonien Hall
13/2/1999	P Azevedo	7	In the Woods... - Strange in Stereo
16/10/1997	P Azevedo	10	In the Woods... - Omnio