Biography
Emerging from Toronto, Canada during 2002, Woods of Ypres made their initial appearance through an elaborately titled demo titled Against the Seasons: Cold Winter Songs from the Dead Summer Heat. On that recording, founding members David Gold (vocals, guitar), Aaron Palmer (bass, vocals), and Brian McManus (guitar, vocals) assembled a multifaceted style blending doom, black metal, and pagan/folk elements. That same approach continued to shape later releases issued on Gold’s Krankenhaus Records imprint, including Woods II: Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth in 2004, Woods III: The Deepest Roots and Darkest Blues in 2007, and Woods 4: The Green Album in 2009, each attracting modest attention within underground metal circles.
Reports circulated in 2010 that Gold had ended the project after moving to Kuwait for employment, yet the group—centered on Gold alongside guitarist/bassist Joel Violette, cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, and oboist Angela Schleihauf—was already developing material for a fifth album, Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light. Recording wrapped several months before Gold died in a car accident in late 2011. Issued in early 2012, the album received favorable notices, after which Violette stated that the band would not proceed without its leader.
Reports circulated in 2010 that Gold had ended the project after moving to Kuwait for employment, yet the group—centered on Gold alongside guitarist/bassist Joel Violette, cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, and oboist Angela Schleihauf—was already developing material for a fifth album, Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light. Recording wrapped several months before Gold died in a car accident in late 2011. Issued in early 2012, the album received favorable notices, after which Violette stated that the band would not proceed without its leader.