ALBUM REVIEW: Eye of Melian - “Forest of Forgetting”

You know that the world is a good place when you get a new release from one of Johanna Kurkela’s acts every year. We’ve been quite blessed since the pandemic, with Altamullan Road’s self-titled debut in 2020, Auri’s “II - Those We Don’t Speak Of” in 2021, Eye of Melian’s “Legends of Light” in 2022, and then, Auri’s “III - Candles & Beginnings” last year, and finally, this year we have more from Eye of Melian, with “Forest of Forgetting” coming out on February 20th, 2026, via Napalm Records. 

Since Kathy Criswell and I had so much fun talking about “Candles & Beginnings,” we decided to set some time aside again this year to discuss “Forest of Forgetting”! We hope you enjoy our podcast review of the album!

Image by Pete Voultilainen

Track List

1. Of Willows and Shadows

2. Symphonia Arcana

3. Child of Twilight

4. Elixir of Night ft. Patty Gurdy & Troy Donockley

5. Blackthorn Winter

6. Lady of Light

7. Dawn of Avatars ft. Patty Gurdy & Troy Donockley

8. Forest of Forgetting

9. The Buried Well

10. The Mirror

11. Nepenthe

12. Tears of the Dragon (Bruce Dickinson cover)

---

If you enjoy Bear’s writing, consider trying out her low-fantasy novella series, The Vitmar Chronicles — Volume I out now and Volume II is coming out on August 22nd!

If you enjoy Kathy’s writing, consider checking out her low-fantasy novel, the aptly-named Aphrodite Rising — out now!

---

READ MORE:
Interviews: On the Record interview with Auri (2018); Off the Record interview with Altamullan Road (2024); On the Record interview with Altamullan Road (2020); Off the Record interview with Timo Kurkela (2024); Guest Interview with Altamullan Road (2024); On the Record with Auri (2025); Guest Interview with Auri (2025)
Reviews: Bear & Kathy Talk “Auri III” (2025)
Live Reports: Altamullan Road Kitee (2024); Altamullan Road Hyvinkää (2024); Altamullan Road Porvoo (2024), Auri Kitee (2025), Auri invokes imagination in Tampere (2025); Guest Live Report of Auri in Tampere (2025);
Travel Blog: Altamullan Road in Kitee (2024); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2025); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2026)
Guest Travel Blog: Altamullan Road in the Netherlands (2024); Altamullan Roat pt.1, pt. 2, pt. 3 (2024); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2025); Auri in Finland pt. 1, pt. 2, pt.3 (2025)
Gathering of Geeks - Trivia Showdown ft. Eye of Melian (2024)