Review by Allan on August 31, 2003.

In The Woods is undeniably one of the finest acts to have graced the metal scene with their presence. Original, progressive, captivating, unpredictable... they stormed through the metal scene in a mere five years, beginning with their debut "Heart of the Ages," and ending with the album "Three By Seven On A Pilgrimage," which brought together the trilogy of 7" that In The Woods released during their existence. Those that have taken the time to become acquainted with their stunning discography have been amazed by the amazing chemistry between these individuals.

After not hearing a word from the In The Woods camp in years, finally, after much deliberation, Prophecy Productions is letting their sub-label, Karmakosmetix Records, run by the In The Woods members themselves, release the much anticipated recording of their very last show, "Live At The Caledonien Hall," which took place on the 29th of December, 2000. My experience with live albums has been that they are simply acknowledged, listened to, and then they start their shelf life. What is the reason to listen to a lesser quality recording, with imperfections, if you can listen to a full-length studio recording that has superior production and is performed without flaw? However, for a band that's missing existence is still being mourned over by certain individuals, who wouldn't want to get their hands on more material from In The Woods? Somehow, In The Woods has managed to turn a live album into a necessity for fans.

"Live At The Caledonien Hall" covers material from most of the In The Woods discography, but mostly their four major releases, "Heart Of The Ages" ('Heart Of The Ages,' 'Mourning The Death of Aase'), "Omnio" ('299.796 km/s,' 'I Am Your Flesh,' 'Kairos,' 'Weeping Wollow,' 'Omnio'), "Strange In Stereo" ('Dead Man's Creek,' 'Path of the Righteous,' 'Titan Transcendence,' 'Closing In'), and "Three By Seven On A Pilgrimage" ('White Rabbit,' 'Empty Room'). There is also an amazing cover of the excellent song 'Epitaph' by King Crimson from their "In The Court of the Crimson King" album.

On "Live At The Caledonien Hall," In The Woods sound amazing. Not necessarily because every single note is perfect, but because they do something that most bands don't – they don't play with their brains. The emotion is clearly there, as is the atmosphere. The mix sounds great, with each instrument being audible to the right extent, and not overbearing. At times the guitar tone is absolutely stunning and matches the atmosphere perfectly. Both the male and female vocalists prove beyond doubt that their talent far exceeds their reputation, which is already incredibly high. The set list itself is great, seeing as it covers all of their albums, not to mention the entire "Omnio" album.

Bottom Line: In The Woods fans can now rejoice at the fact that we've been blessed with an album that many have anticipated since the band's final show. "Live At The Caledonien Hall" fulfills all the hype and then some.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9.5
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 8.5
Originality: 9.5
Overall: 9.5

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Alex on May 13, 2019.

Kingdom has returned a year later to make a cleansing sweep of the destruction caused by 2018s Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground. I could not find words to describe that record; I tried to pretend it was going to be no big deal but i was so wrong. Marked by a brutally honest vocal tone of hatred, a drum attack that hit like a pile of stones and guitars outrageously swinging boulders blindfolded, it took me awhile to find something that could challenge it. Here in 2019 we are met with the same unholy mannerism of Poland’s Kingdom. Residing on Godz ov War Productions, this bunch of death dealers did not take long to return to the killing field equipped with 10 new tracks that come mighty close to overtaking 2018’s effort. Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound digs deeper into the veins of Kingdom to extract and expand an essence of their music that has given them such notorious status within the underground. This release can be viewed as a direct continuation of 2016’s effort in many ways. 

The same voluminous vocals return with a hand dipped in a vacuuming guitar and drum a performance that overrides that of Kingdom’s previous release. I was not expecting this record at all, plus given the prior was such a strong offering to the underground and Godz ov War Productions, I did not see the need to put out something that immediately followed and challenged Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground. Kingdom could have easily ridden out 2019 and 2020 on the momentum of 2016 effort because it was such a well-crafted record. Right now, they almost remind me of Tomb Mold given their habits of releasing competent music on a frequent basis. This record is as praise worthy as the previously mentioned, it’s as if It was recorded a day after Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground had been. It executes all the little technical twists and turns in the drumming and guitars, the vocal voodoo of Lewan and RMK play dominant roles, and the production is given just as much leeway as needed to aid in the proper execution of the record. 

“Dark Light Rising” offers that mix of cavernous vocals and mid 90s HM2 pedal madness. To some point it even reminds me of early Immolation in the vocal range and tone, I could swear it sounded a bit like Ross Dolan here. I appreciate the way in which the combination of vocal patterns is used particularly in the following track “Świątynia zepsucia” with the death growls coating the black metal snarls to usher in a monsterous clashing of sorts. This is black and death metal juice blended and distributed in a meticulous order. The guitars show contrast in the styles being used, yet at the same time expressing a state of cooperation to accomplish the task at hand. You hear the blast beating of the instrumental track “Zatracony w obłędzie” matched with the melodic tone of the guitars and can’t help to wonder how much of a powerful coven Kingdom have grown to become since their last spell. All songs on Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound reflect the efforts of a dedicated bunch of instrumentalists; the drummer plays his part with no bothers as though second nature to himself, guitars take the immediate front and are wrapped with a swelling, pulsing-bass tone to follow. 

What a heavyweight of a record; the new addition to the lineup added another level of invigoration to the music and it shows with pride on tracks like “Dark Light Rising”, “Rotting Carcass Arisen”, “Swiatybia Zepsucia” and “Burial Mound”. Sounds like black metal and death metal rolling around in a muddy pit of tremolo riffing and HM2 distorted licks and leads. Although I was content with the production on Kingdom’s prior effort, it's a step up from Putrescent Remains of the Dead Ground that sounded a bit less bassy where the instrumentation is concerned. Good move, as now Rotting Carcass Arise upon the Burial Mound has a heightened guitar presence which sounds more dominating on this occasion. I sort of miss those semi-Antti Boman gutturals, but it's not a big deal, given the record still sounds heavier and more sinister than before. This is definitely a must have of 2019, now I have to be on the lookout; Kingdom may put out another next year or even this year.

Rating: 9 out of 10