remembering Woods of Ypres

I took this photo at Heathen Crusade in November 2008. The shot captures Ontario musician David Gold in full-on performance mode, wowing a crowd (including me) with his band's near-headlining set, including a performance of the first Woods of Ypres release, Against the Seasons, in full.

Since Gold's unfortunate death last December, the final Woods of Ypres album, Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Lights, has been seeping out into the ether in various forms - mp3s, special vinyl editions, and now CD as well.

Last Thursday night, after having the mp3 version of the record for a while, I finally got a chance to pick up my own hard copy, and to hear the record in full in a room filled with Gold's family, friends, fellow musicians and fans - all gathered together to celebrate his final full recording and to commiserate in loss.

My brief overview of the Woods of Ypres tribute performances is up @ exclaim.ca. And my review of the album itself - Grey Skies and Electric Lights - is now online as well.

In memory...