The Ghosts of Summers Past

Metal's Not Music, It's a Mindset

The Ghosts of Summers Past by Woods of Ypres

While not as long as the 9-minute video would have you believe (the last 3 minutes are silent), The Ghosts of Summers Past is still a behemoth of a song at 6 minutes.

The track resides somewhere between abysmal gloom and resignation to an ever-present but gentle melancholia. Somewhere between wallowing in misery and learning to cope with it.

It's about the end of a relationship, the end of an era - something that's gone forever.

I wasn't sure I liked the droning vocals that start the song, but it gets better. You have to give it a chance. Around 2:25, there's some more interesting guitar action, and it only picks up after that. We get layers on layers of vocals and some lovely harmonies. 

The title of the song is accurate to both the lyrical content and the haunting harmonies that fill in the second half of the song. The Ooohs that begin around the 5:15 mark can't be described any other way.

This is definitely one of those tracks where the lyrics are meant to be heard and understood and digested. It could be read as poetry, probably.

Funny, though, this is apparently a "blackened doom metal" band (x), and I was wondering how they were going to pull it off when they're from Canada of all places. I was mistaken. This blackened doom metal is surprisingly chill. I like it.

Overview:

Genre:

Black Metal / Death Metal

Favorite Lyrics:

I long for the way it used to be.

Verdict:

I need to reevaluate my interpretation of the word "metal."