Double yellow vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. A Shadowplay For Yesterdays is the third album by A Forest of Stars. After last year's new editions of The Corpse Of Rebirth (2008) and Opportunistic Thieves Of Spring (2010), this record is the real Lupus Lounge / Prophecy Productions debut by the group. While their first two albums hinted at the huge potential of the collective, A Shadowplay... is aspiring for even greater things, surpassing itself in the process. As for the lyrics, this is another concept album, dealing with a man at odds with himself, torn between virtue and the path of blasphemous (self-) destruction. In terms of music, the Gentlemen's Club enters new realms. The eccentric and sinister compositions that are the trademark of A Forest of Stars are still the music's foundation, but at the same time, they lace their avant-garde black metal with influences from the rich musical heritage of Great Britain: epic doom riffs find their place alongside the melodics and playfulness of classic prog rock. As the highlight of it all, the Gentlemen's Club performs an alchemical miracle: despite it's musical diversity and complexity, A Shadowplay... is the band's most accessible and catchy album by far. Thus, A Forest of Stars do everything properly on A Shadowplay... Skillfully, they unite the trademarks of the past with new ideas for the future, and in doing so, they present the most important album of their discography to date. May the shadowplay commence!
