Photo (left to right) by Jane Driver-Loach and Ася Плавскина
Transcontinental black metal outfit EVEALE will unleash their spellbinding Enter The Woodland Realm full-length on May 1st via a joint collaboration between Toronto’s Hypaethral Records and New York City’s Fiadh Productions.
EVEALE emerged in early 2025 as a black metal project operating at the margins of anonymity and intent. Conceived by two long-time collaborators seeking an outlet unconstrained by their existing work, the project was initially hidden behind pseudonyms: The Monarch Of The Hillside (MOTH) and The North East Wizard Tyrant (The NEWT).
Their debut track, “Lament Of The Dryads,” established EVEALE’s stripped-back approach —direct, unadorned black metal steeped in nature, folklore, and cycles of death and rebirth. Though originally conceived with programmed drums, the song demanded a more visceral performance, leading to the involvement of a session drummer credited only as The Basher at Things (BAT). A second track, “The Enemy,” expanded the project’s scope. Beginning in the guise of heroic fantasy metal, it gradually reveals itself as something far more introspective: a meditation on self-deception and destructive coping mechanisms.
These two songs formed EVEALE’s debut EP, Lament Of The Dryads / The Enemy, released in May 2025. Early exposure came through unconventional means, including anonymous physical releases scattered at a major UK festival, an act that drew attention while accelerating the project’s eventual unmasking.
With their identities revealed but their alter egos intact, EVEALE turned toward a full-length album. While not a traditional concept record, it is bound by the recurring presence of The Woodland Realm: a mythic landscape inhabited by MOTH and NEWT, where nature, decay, and dominion intertwine.
“Our aim with Enter The Woodland Realm, was to create an album that took all of the things we love most about rock and metal, and to put them into one black metal album, with a distinctly unique sound,” the duo comments. “There are moments of epic grandeur, contrasted by sections of bloodthirsty ferocity and introspective melancholy. Whilst this isn’t fully a concept album, a lot of the themes revolve around worldbuilding within the fictional universe that we have created as a setting for our alter egos: The Monarch Of The Hillside (The MOTH) and the North East Wizard Tyrant (The NEWT); The Woodland Realm, also populated by a myriad of other Forest Dwellers.
“We really hope that people vibe with this and have as much fun listening to it, as we had writing and recording it. This has been a true labor of love over the past year and we hope that our deep passion for this music, and appreciation for those who influenced it comes across in the end results.”
Of EVEALE’s first single, “Carniflora,” the band continues, “With this track, we set out to make a ‘black ‘n’ roll’ type song, taking something like ‘K.I.N.G.’ by Satyricon as the basic principle, with a sinister, jagged edge to the guitar work and buoyant, melodic bass. This is one of the tracks that was specifically written to help build the lore and mystery of the fictional universe we are creating within The Woodland Realm. The premise is that the carnivorous plants that border the Realm have evolved beyond being insectivores thanks to some dark power that they are drawing from within the earth and have now developed a taste for the flesh of larger beings.”
Stream EVEALE’s “Carniflora” HERE.
All songs on Enter The Woodland Realm were written by North East Wizard Tyrant (instrumentals) and Monarch Of The Hillside (lyrics and vocal arrangements, co-writing of instrumentals on “The Ritual”). Additionally, Monarch Of The Hillside handled vocals, lyrics, bongo, Tibetan singing bowl, and field recordings on “The Beckoning,” North East Wizard Tyrant handled electric guitars, bass, acoustic guitars, and falsetto backing vocals on “Our Flame,” while Eurasian Blackbird and Common Wood-Pigeon handled guest vocals on “The Beckoning.” Basher At Things handled all drums.
Enter The Woodland Realm was mixed and mastered by Erik Peabody at Viking Guitar Production and produced and edited by Steve Wiener. Guitars, bass, and backing vocals were engineered and recorded by Wiener in New Jersey, USA, vocals were engineered and recorded by Alex Loach in Hampshire, England, and drums were engineered and recorded by Chris Barber in Sheffield, England.
The stunning work will be issued on limited edition vinyl (200 copies on Forest Dweller vinyl), CD (200 pro-pressed, 6-panel digipak), and digitally, as well as cassette (a Fiadh exclusive).
Find preorders at the Hypaethral webshop HERE, the Hypaethral Bandcamp HERE, and the Fiadh Bandcamp HERE.
Enter The Woodland Realm Track Listing:
1. The Beckoning
2. Lament Of The Dryads
3. The Enemy
4. Carniflora
5. The Ritual
6. Pursuit Beneath The Moonlight
7. Our Flame
8. The Final Quest
9. Enter The Woodland Realm
Title: The Forest Stream, Artist: Jacob van Ruisdael (Dutch, Haarlem 1628/29–1682 Amsterdam), Date: ca. 1660, Medium: Oil on canvas
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