Russian Forest Metal: The Image of the Forest in Russian Atmospheric Black Metal

The image of the forest serves as a key symbol in atmospheric black metal, through which an important connection with the past is facilitated, a crucial component of this music genre's conceptual essence, and a unique attitude towards nature is conveyed, one that is often juxtaposed with culture. However, for bands from Russia, the forest also represents an ethnoscape, a significant part of national identity. Moreover, some Russian projects further complicate this stereotype by converting it into a political statement, aimed at an ecological issue pertinent to both global and local narratives. Examples of such an approach can be found in the concept album "Fires" by Elderwind, which addresses the issue of forest fires in the Ural and Siberia, and the ecological manifesto of the duo Grima, dedicating all their creative work to the enigmatic master of the forest. The aim of this paper is to explore how the image of the Russian forest is utilized on visual, textual, and musical levels in the Elderwind project and by bands from the roster of the Slowsnow Records label, which specializes in atmospheric black metal with a forest theme.