“A Forest” is the first single from The Cure‘s second album, Seventeen Seconds. It features a moody intro which builds for a minute before the pace suddenly picks up to something resembling contemporary post-punk. Robert Smith’s vocals don’t even enter until nearly halfway through the four-minute song. The song helped lay the groundwork for the gothic rock sound so popular through the 1980s.
Behemoth are an extreme metal band from Poland, instrumental in helping to establish the Polish metal scene. In their new cover, everything about “A Forest” is turned up to eleven. Guest vocalist Niklas Kvarforth’s vocals turn Smith’s distant, androgynous croon into a full on extreme metal growl. As the song builds towards its climax, everything gets louder and louder, obliterating memories of the original’s quiet, moody vibe.
