The Forest Seasons

The Forest Seasons is the third studio album by Finnish metal outfit Wintersun, released in 2017. Following the notoriously delayed and complex production of Time I, Jari Mäenpää took a more streamlined approach to recording while maintaining his signature maximalist aesthetic. The album is a concept piece inspired by Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, consisting of four tracks that each exceed 12 minutes in length. Each track represents a season: Spring (Awaken From the Dark Slumber), Summer (The Forest That Weeps), Autumn (Eternal Darkness), and Winter (Loneliness). Sonically, the album leans heavily into symphonic and folk metal territories, utilizing massive vocal choirs and dense synthesizer orchestrations to simulate a full orchestra. Critical reception was generally positive, though some noted the shift toward a more synth-heavy mix compared to the band's guitar-driven debut. It remains a landmark in the 'epic metal' subgenre for its ambitious structure and thematic cohesion.