In the beginning of 1998 Johan Svensson showed interest in the band and joined on guitar/bass. This new line-up didn’t last long since we had different aims and after some months Forest of Shadows was once again a one-man band. After Johan’s departure I started to redo the recordings of the old songs and in may 1998 the same four songs were released on the first real demo, titled “The Silent Cry”. During the release of the demo I got in contact with a friend of a friend, Micce Andersson, who found my band interesting and wanted to help me out. Almost instantly we wrote the opening riff of “Eternal Autumn” and started discussing some old songs to re-record.
In the beginning of 1999 we contacted Katatonia and asked them if we could do a cover of their masterpiece “Rainroom”. They approved and we recorded the song as well as a new version of “The Silent Cry”. In may 1999, a year after the release of the first demo, we released a promo called “promotion-cd 1999” which featured these two song. The intention of the promo was to show our new direction and sound which was a success since we recieved good critics from both friends and zines. We were really satisfied with what we had accomplished and ready to take it all a step further.
To read more, please visit: www.forestofshadows.com
Wish
Forest of Shadows Lyrics
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Oh autumn hath arrived a tragedy painted dead
Fallen am I without thee I am lost
In a region of doleful shades I am withering away
I dwell in the shadows of life
A dismal state of mind I'm in pain
Oh sun I hate thy beams
Leave me here to sleep and dream
In a garden of endless grief
I yearn for thee my precious one
Beneath a pale grey sky I dream of your embrace
How I wish I had you near in this oh so dolorous life
Where dreams turn to dust I have lost all my hope
Of lasting pain and unpresent bliss
This soul of mine I welcome thee
Eternal sleep
Silent advent of white death
I feel so cold
Silent advent of white death
I feel so cold
Crystallized tears falling still
Oh autumn hath died
Enshrouded am I in thy mist of endless gloom
Enthralled am I by thy beauty
How I wish, how I wish
In the midst of falling snow
In a garden of endless grief
My forlorn soul of misery
Where peace and rest can never dwell
Hope never comes
I see no point in going on
Still I dream but now I know
I dream a lie so I close my eyes and I sigh
A life of shattered dreams I can no longer bear
I enter thee eternal sleep
The lyrics of Forest of Shadows' song "Wish" convey a sense of loss and despair. The singer is mourning the arrival of autumn, which represents death and decay. He longs for his lost love, who seems to have died, and wishes for her embrace. He is stuck in a dark place, both literally and metaphorically, as he dwells in the shadows of life and is suffering from a dismal state of mind. He hates the sun, which brings light and warmth to the world, preferring to sleep and dream in the midst of falling leaves and in a garden of endless grief. He longs for the eternal sleep, for his soul to be at rest.
The lyrics of "Wish" describe the cyclical nature of life and the inevitability of death. The singer is resigned to his fate and welcomes the advent of white death, which can be interpreted as the falling snow of winter. He is enshrouded in its mist of endless gloom, yet he finds beauty in this state of mind. He remains in a garden of endless grief, where peace and rest can never dwell. The singer sees no point in going on, yet he continues to dream, knowing that these are lies. In the end, he enters the eternal sleep, hoping that it will bring him peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Awakened this dying season such a beauty to behold
Even though the season is dying and everything is decaying, I find the beauty in it.
Oh autumn hath arrived a tragedy painted dead
Autumn has come, but everything is dying and it feels like a tragedy.
Fallen am I without thee I am lost
Without you, I'm lost and don't know what to do.
In a region of doleful shades I am withering away
I am slowly losing my energy and passion in a place that is filled with gloom and sadness.
I dwell in the shadows of life
I feel like I'm living in a dark and depressing place where nothing is bright.
A dismal state of mind I'm in pain
My mind is filled with sadness and I'm experiencing emotional pain.
Oh sun I hate thy beams
I hate the brightness and warmth of the sun because it reminds me of my pain.
Leave me here to sleep and dream
I just want to escape reality and sleep or dream instead.
In the midst of falling leaves
Everything is decaying and falling apart around me.
In a garden of endless grief
I feel like I'm living in a place that's filled with constant sadness and tragedy.
I yearn for thee my precious one
I deeply desire to be with someone who is precious to me.
Beneath a pale grey sky I dream of your embrace
Even in a world that's filled with sadness, I dream of finding love and being embraced by someone.
How I wish I had you near in this oh so dolorous life
I wish with all my heart that the person I love was here with me to help me through this difficult life.
Where dreams turn to dust I have lost all my hope
I used to have dreams and aspirations, but now I feel like they're impossible and I've lost all hope.
Of lasting pain and unpresent bliss
All I experience is pain and sadness, and I don't have any moments of happiness to enjoy.
This soul of mine I welcome thee
I am ready to accept death and let my soul rest.
Eternal sleep
I want my sleep to be eternal and for my spirit to finally be at peace.
Silent advent of white death
Death is coming silently, like a white snow that muffles everything.
I feel so cold
Everything feels cold and bleak, like I'm already half-dead.
Crystallized tears falling still
I am crying, but my tears are frozen and not flowing anymore.
Enshrouded am I in thy mist of endless gloom
I feel like I'm trapped in an endless fog of sadness and despair.
Enthralled am I by thy beauty
Despite everything being gloomy, I'm still captivated by the beauty I see around me.
How I wish, how I wish
I desperately wish for something that seems impossible to achieve.
In the midst of falling snow
The snow is falling all around me, and everything feels cold and lifeless.
My forlorn soul of misery
My soul is filled with sadness and misery.
Where peace and rest can never dwell
I feel like there is no place for peace and happiness in my life.
Hope never comes
I feel like I'll never experience hope or happiness again.
I see no point in going on
I'm so miserable that I don't see a reason to live anymore.
Still I dream but now I know
I still have dreams, but I know they're unrealistic and unlikely to come true.
I dream a lie so I close my eyes and I sigh
My dreams are just illusions and lies, so I close my eyes and sigh in despair.
A life of shattered dreams I can no longer bear
I can't handle living a life filled with broken dreams anymore.
I enter thee eternal sleep
I am ready to embrace death and allow my soul to rest forever.
Contributed by Christopher G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Amanda Hugginkiss
This band has one of the greatest death sounds of any metal I've listened to over the last 30 yrs. The singers guttural voice is pure magic for putting you straight into the darkness of some subconscious hell you burden your thoughts with. Right up there with the kings "Disembowelment" !!!🤘
GreyLightDistrict
I cant stop listening to this
Martins Dicis
Yup. It's been 21 year. Still can't stop listening to this. This is beyond music.
Filip Skoumal
Same here...how I wish I had you near...dreams turn to dust...fucking strong lyrics
Mirian Podluzny
I gree
Monolyth The Heretic
I mean, it IS a masterpiece. I wish Niclas had some proper management/publicity. This style could certainly draw crowds even today. I get why he does things how he does 'em though so we'll just have to be the special few who get to revel in the eargasms.
reverend bizarre
Yes xd
daffybastard
My favorite song by forest of shadows.
heaven cries
Endless nights i shed all my tears with this...
maryam sehhat
such a power in lyric and music