Album Review: Forestella - The Beginning: World Tree

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Korean vocal quartet Forestella have released a new album. The Beginning: World Tree is a fantastic introduction to the quartet, and I love where they are going with this sound. So, it is time for an album review! I won't be reviewing the instrumental versions of the tracks, but they are also great.

Intro: Runes

What a way to open the album! I love the atmospheric vocal synths, the dramatic strings, the pummeling percussion, and the rock guitar elements. This feels so spacious and adventurous, while also epic and grand.

Save Our Lives

I love vocal harmonies, no secret about that. Save Our Lives is some epic vocal power playings over a grand instrumental. Forestella can sing circles around most K-Pop stars, and this performance shows it. The instrumental does not have to do much, but it is fantastic. The climax is pretty strong, and a vocal highlight.

Rating: 9/10

Moonlight

Compared to the dramatic Save Our Lives, Moonlight is much more subtle, taking its time to build. I love a snowball, and Moonlight is certainly that. With five minutes in its runtime, it takes time to get going but is well worth it. Moonlight is pretty much a pitch-perfect ballad, and I love what it does.

Rating: 8.75/10

Stay

Stay is pretty much a K-Drama OST, which is a genre that fits Forestella quite well. Their vocal textures remind me Hong Kwang Ho's legendary Step By Step (AKA Balbam Balbam), one of my favorite songs of the 2000s. Stay is much simpler than that, but Forestella's vocal texture make the song much better than it is on paper.

Rating: 8/10

The Forest Song (To. Soop Byeol)

I have no idea who Soop Byeol is, but The Forest Song is pure K-Drama-esque vocal anguish. It is not as fantastic as the earlier tracks on the album, but the vocal harmonies are fantastic as always. I love the rock-ballad elements in the second half of the song especially.

Rating: 8.25/10

For Life

A surge back to form, For Life utilizes the various vocal timbres of Forestella. I especially love the baritone elements. Compared to a K-Drama OST, this song is more '90s Disney power ballad, something that I love. For Life is no Moonlight or Save Our Lives, but is still a fantastic conclusion to the album.

Rating: 8.75/10

Cumulative Rating: 8.55/10

Overall Score: 8.4/10

I am now a Forestella fan, what a fantastic album! The vocal harmonies are great, while the instrumentation is only a little bit behind. These are peak vocal power ballads, and I cannot wait to see what the quartet does next.