Woods Of Ypres "Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth"

Pursuit of the Sun & Allure of the Earth is the first full-length album by the Canadian black metal band Woods of Ypres. It was recorded in 2004 at Spectre Sound in Tecumseh, Ontario. This marked Woods of Ypres' first release with David Gold on vocals and guitar as well as drums, along with the first appearance of keyboardist Jessica Rose. Steve Jones & Connor Sharpe supplied most of the lead guitar and bass work for this album, but were uncredited in the album booklet due to leaving Woods of Ypres before its release. Producer Glenn Fricker has since stated on his YouTube channel that the record “is the sound of a band disintegrating,” and characterized the sessions as “extremely difficult” due to one member, likely Gold, being “very unreasonable.”

Four songs from this album were later re-issued in Woods of Ypres' 2009 compilation CD Independent Nature 2002-2007. That same year, the band re-released their song Allure of the Earth from this album as a vinyl-only single, accompanied by a cover of it by Australian cellists Sebastian Simpson & Chris Doig.

Songs from this album were not a frequent sight at recent Woods of Ypres concerts. Only "The Sun Was in My Eyes (Part I)" has been documented as a full setlist addition since 2009, though shortened versions of "Summer's Envy" & "The Ghosts of Summers Past" have been played in a medley style occasionally in the band's later years.

On this first edition of this release, the track listing on the back excludes track 7. "Shedding the Deadwood" is track 6 but "Dragged Across a Forest Floor" is track 8. The tracks follow as 9, 10 and 11.

Near the beginning of this recording, the rest of the band decided not to continue with Woods of Ypres, leaving the guitar and bass tracks almost completely recorded. Connor Sharpe (bass) and Steve Jones (guitar) are not properly credited for these performances in the album's booklet.

Recording information:

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Spectre Sound, Ontario, Canada.