Awakening The Forest Press and Quotes

Here are some review quotes about our latest album. Read the full length Awakening The Forest reviews or read archive reviews for our previous releases. You may also be interested in Alunah Live Reviews or Alunah Interviews.
DECIBEL MAGAZINE (USA)
"Is there a doom band that sounds dreamier than Alunah? That’s a big reason I love this English band: they play heavy music rooted in the tradition of Saint Vitus, but the focus isn’t so much on brute force but grace."

ROCK-A-ROLLA MAGAZINE (UK)
"A sure-fire sign that Alunah have the potential to exist amongst the greats."

TERRORIZER MAGAZINE (UK)
"Signing to a major label has obviously given the four-piece clarity and this is their most mature release to date."

ZERO TOLERANCE MAGAZINE (UK) (4.5/5)
"Day's vocals lead the band's charge with a regal charisma, while the songwriting is refreshingly old-school, bereft of any occult, retro, or stoner elements which would otherwise bog this one down as 'just another new release in the pile'. Instead, Awakening the Forest is some of the better doom metal this writer has heard in a while"

METAL MOUTH (UK) (9/10)
"With bands like Cathedral and Orange Goblin flying the flag for UK doom, the Birmingham 4 piece are mere footsteps behind, if not, on par with quality, they just lack the years of touring and building the name. You can rest assured that they’ll get there in the end though, especially with albums like this. Already a massive fan of Alunah, I was already aware of the brilliance that was White Hoarhound, and to say they smashed it this time around with this release is somewhat of an understatement."

TEETH OF THE DIVINE (USA)
"Alunah’s hazy, stoned-out psychedelic combo forms a masterful slab of earthy modern doom, rich in songwriting dynamics and featuring some of the downright catchiest vocal hooks and melodies I’ve had the pleasure of hearing on a heavy album this year."

METAL KAOZ (USA)
"The UK Doom quartet proves once more that it’s not your average Doom band, and actually shows that they got the skills and the knowledge, not only to awake an entire forest, but crush the head of every unfaithful and skeptical mind against (oc)cult female-fronted bands. Horns up, peeps, ALUNAH is back!"

THE SLUDGELORD (UK)
"They have a true gem in their hands and the sky is the limit for them. So, do yourself the favour and the band as well and get your hands on this amazing wax!"

METAL BLAST (4/5)
"They keep the listener engaged and entertained with compositions that feel like they live and breath. This is what the best music does, regardless of the genre it falls into. Awakening the Forest is immersive, entertaining, and definitely up there with the best metal I’ve heard this year."

THE OBELISK (USA)
"Whatever pagan elements might be at work throughout, Alunah‘s third album doesn’t veer from its human core, and for that, and for its marking the continued growth of the band and their coming into own in what they do, moving beyond their influences to an increasingly individualized approach, Awakening the Forest is their strongest outing yet."

BATTLE HELM (UK)
"Alunah stand poised to bring visions of the rolling English countryside further afield on this arousing and alluring album."

RUSH ON ROCK (UK) 8/10
"Another seminal doom metal album and another memorable record fronted by an exceptionally talented female singer. Just as Witch Mountain (see above) must be mourning the loss of Uta Plotkin, members of Alunah must be praying Sophie Day is here to stay."

MAXIMUM VOLUME MUSIC (UK) 9/10
“Awakening The Forest” is an album Alunah can be extremely proud of. It will be tagged as Doom Metal, but actually it has so much more than that to enjoy."

AVENOCTUM (UK) 8/10
"After the high benchmark that Alunah set themselves with their 2012 release ‘White Hoarhound’, anything but a strong follow up would have disappointed the listener.  ‘Awakening the Forest’ does not disappoint."

STORMBRINGER (AUSTRIA) 4/5 
"The lead couple Soph & David Day have managed without doubt, compared to their essential 2012 'White Hoarhound' publication, an immensely important step towards world class Doom"

ABOUT.COM (USA)
"There's something bewitching about Alunah that stirs up an ache inside."

SOUNDSCAPE MAGAZINE (UK) 7/10
"The vocals are certainly a high point of the album. There’s this great innate gloominess to them and they lend themselves fantastically to the music; there’s no ‘gimmick’ to them and the way Sophie moves as one with the music is incredible"

METAL.DE (GERMANY) 8/10
"We can attest that the band centred around singer Sophie Day, have inherited genes of the forefathers in their blood"

ROCK BLOG BLUES SPOT (NL)
"With their new album, they outdo themselves and it is only to be hoped that they are able to secure a place among the greats of the scene! Oh yes, they have earned it!"

RAVENHEART MUSIC (UK)
"It is a great piece of Doom Metal, and so it should be, didn't we invent it?" 

TWO GUYS METAL REVIEW (FR)
"There is something extremely comforting about Awakening the Forest. It touches on deeper and darker sounds than many of us might be comfortable facing, and for me these riffs go beyond mere notes on a guitar. Awakening the Forest has some of the most purely satisfying vibes that you could ask for from a doom record and that is what makes it a definitive release. These guys have it all, and hopefully the brilliance of this album can launch them on a US tour soon. As the record comes to a close I can only close my eyes and dream of the glory that is to come."

HARDFORCE (FRANCE)
"It is a powerful and rich album, inspirational, sometimes transparent, a generous work, very endearing, and probably more accessible than those of many other groups occupying the neighborhoods of Mr Doom and Mrs Psyche"

QUEENS OF STEEL (SPAIN) 8/10
"The slow rhythm of this work that combines Doom Metal and Stoner makes you have to enjoy every track calmly and quietly, savoring every second as if it were your last"