{"id":780382,"date":"2026-05-07T20:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780382\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T20:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T20:16:18","slug":"a-forest-of-stars-stack-overflow-in-corpse-pile-interface-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/780382\/","title":{"rendered":"A Forest of Stars – Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"There\u2019s a common misconception from readers of this fine blog that we writers are well-versed, well-traveled, and have kept abreast of all the happenings and goings-on within the world of our favorite genre of music. I hate to pop your bubble gum, but that\u2019s wildly untrue. We all have lives, careers, and people in our lives that take time away from listening to new music from artists that we have always loved or, in my case here, artists we\u2019ve been wanting to check out, but for some reason haven\u2019t. A Forest of Stars<\/strong>, the British avant-garde septet, are that band for me. Their newest, Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface, their first album in eight years and sixth overall, is here for dissection, and I\u2019m going in almost completely blind, and without a single note heard prior.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m already anticipating the hate mail for this, but from what everyone told me of AFoS<\/strong>, it\u2019s a heady mix of British Black Metal, doom metal, and spoken word. All good things, in my book! Plus, Katheryne, Queen of the Ghosts helped bring back the violins for My Dying Bride<\/strong>\u2019s 2009 album, For Lies I Sire, which again is a good thing! And despite it being over 73 minutes, Stack Overflow rarely meandered or sat in place for too long, making for an engaging listen throughout. Opener \u201cAscension of the Clowns\u201d sets a doomed tone, quietly and somberly setting the scene before Mister Curse begins ranting like the proselytizers across the street from where I work. Maniacal and unrelenting, Curse\u2019s caustic delivery and unhinged performances sometimes seem at odds with the framework of the music, but the two sides need each other as much as they want nothing to do with each other.<\/p>\n

And that odd dichotomy propels Stack Overflow, especially in the final half-hour-plus one-two punch of both \u201cSway, Draped in Vague\u201d and \u201cNot Drinking Water.\u201d The former, also awakening a faux dreamy vibe before sending the listener careening through the backstreets of London, with Curse and Katheryne trading off vocal lines while Mr. T.S. Kettleburner and Mr. William Wight-Barrow unleash some incredible riffs and tremolo melodies blanketing Katheryne\u2019s sweeping violins towards the song\u2019s middle, making the song\u2019s 17 minutes feel like a journey. \u201cNot Drinking Water,\u201d in contrast, feels downtrodden in the beginning, containing some of the album\u2019s slowest moments, before hitting what could accurately be called a humdinger of a jam session right at the song\u2019s midpoint, with solos and hooks galore to wrap up both a fantastic closer, as well as a hell of a way to finish out the album.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Of course, there are some issues with Stack Overflow. While most of the material flows seamlessly, there does seem to be some fat to trim, especially in some of the more atmospheric moments. Also, while there isn\u2019t a single weak moment on the album, it really is best experienced in one sitting with most of the lights off, some candles, your favorite beverage, and (if you partake) your smoking implement of choice, and for some, 73 minutes is a big ask for many of us, especially if you\u2019re busy like I am. However, if you can make the time and get in the right headspace, you will be rewarded handsomely.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m due for some weirdness, especially in the departure of Voices<\/strong>. Not only does Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface scratch that itch until it bleeds, but it also turned me on to a band that I went from \u201cI need to check them out sometime\u201d to \u201cOkay, how much is their stuff on Bandcamp?\u201d in record time. A Forest of Stars<\/strong>, in a just world, should be heralded as purveyors of odd, eclectic metal. Here\u2019s hoping that Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface is as much a jumping-on point for many of you as it was for me. Believe me, you can do a hell of a lot worse.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Rating:<\/strong> 4.0\/5.0
DR:<\/strong> 7 | Format Reviewed:<\/strong> 320 kbps mp3
Label:<\/strong> Prophecy Productions<\/a>
Websites:<\/strong> Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
Releases Worldwide:<\/strong> May 8th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s a common misconception from readers of this fine blog that we writers are well-versed, well-traveled, and have…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":780383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[12086,18520,319414,319415,125810,171,319207,975,194123,128082,2290,11853,319416,67,132,68,21232],"class_list":{"0":"post-780382","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-12086","9":"tag-4-0","10":"tag-a-forest-of-stars","11":"tag-avantgarde-metal","12":"tag-british-metal","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-may26","15":"tag-music","16":"tag-my-dying-bride","17":"tag-prophecy-productions","18":"tag-review","19":"tag-reviews","20":"tag-stack-overflow-in-corpse-pile-interface","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-voices"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116535138101329249","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=780382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/780382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=780382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=780382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=780382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}