“Woods of Ypres 2009” by Mark Coatsworth

Woods of Ypres is a band that I still miss today. About ten years ago their CD: Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth ended up in my hands. I did a little digging and found that they were out of Canada. While I generally hesitate to label bands, this one was doom laden and fantastic. I kept up with Woods of Ypres through their subsequent releases, Woods III: The Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues, Woods IV: The Green Album. And then David Gold, the front man and only constant member, was gone, killed in a car crash in 2011. Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light, my favorite of their body of work, was released posthumously in 2012.

Woods of Ypres is another one of those bands that have been done a disservice by the music industry, they were ignored. Like far too many other other great young bands out there they lack the support from radio these days.

Woods of Ypres takes me on a journey to the dark places of my mind and yet lets me see them in a different light. I always come away cleansed and refreshed after listening to some Woods of Ypres.

While they are gone, they are not forgotten by any means. If you are looking for something different to listen to, check out Woods of Ypres. In fact, I’m gonna provide you with the link to “Lightning & Snow” my favorite track off of their last and final album, enjoy:

     it’s loud, it’s dirty, it’s WOODS OF YPRES

     -the Hellion