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Sun’s not even up and it’s already a very sad day for Canadian metal.

That was a tweet from Adrien Begrand and the first thing I read early this morning as I sat down with my breakfast. My jaw literally hit the floor as I read further and realized David Gold of Ontario’s Woods of Ypres had died. As the day went on I learned he had been struck by a vehicle near Barrie yesterday. He was 31 years old.

I’m constantly going on and on about how you need to hear a certain band or how I just heard something that blew me away. Over the past nine months the name Woods of Ypres has appeared again and again in my tweets and posts on this very site. I can’t describe what it is, but something about their music has connected with me in a huge way. Maybe it’s the raw emotion carried through David’s lyrics, maybe it’s how the band has masterfully covered so many genres over the course of their career. I don’t know. But what I do know is I literally have not stopped playing their music since discovering the band this past March. There is not a week that goes by that I haven’t immersed myself with their songs. Especially Woods IV: The Green Album, which I had been listening to the day David passed away.

I never had the chance to meet David or see Woods of Ypres live. I had the bad timing of only finding out about the band literally days after they played here last spring. When I spoke to David online he told me they would be back in the New Year once their new album was released. I’m sad that won’t happen for somewhat selfish reasons. Mainly I was really looking forward to seeing the band live. But I also wanted to make sure there was one more face in the crowd who truly appreciated their music when they came back again. The band worked hard for the loyal fan base they had and even if it only grew by one more, I wanted to make sure they knew it. I’m really sorry that didn’t happen.

Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light

Late this year the band finished recording Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light which was set for release in January. Today their label Earache tweeted the link to the promo download of the album. I now have something I couldn’t wait to hear a month early. But for all the wrong reasons. Expect a follow-up post once I have had a chance to fully digest the album.

Woods of Ypres Sampler

I put together a short mix of a few of my favourite Woods of Ypres songs. Have a listen below and if you like what you hear, dig deeper and spread the word.

  1. Shards of Love
  2. Everything I Touch Turns to Gold (Then to Coal)
  3. Falling Apart
  4. Dirty Window of Opportunity (Can You Get Here in 10 Days)
  5. Your Ontario Town is a Burial Ground
  6. You Are Here With Me (In This Sequence Of Dreams)
  7. The Sea of Immeasurable Loss

Woods of Ypres – David Gold 1980-2011 (MP3 36:53)

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