Review by Adam M on August 27, 2025.

This is an epic album that makes the band seem very grand and epic in scope.  It is an album that has wonderful emotional poignancy and is very addictive to listen to overall.  There is a need to be atmospherically interesting and this permeates every level of the album.  Songs such as “I Am Your Flesh” are outstanding and capture your attention quite nicely.  The entirety of the affair is a trip in emotional poignancy.

The musicianship is solid with emotive guitar playing and a very solid singing performance.  The production is merely good and moves the songs along nicely as they capture your attention.  It seems like the musicianship comes together more nicely here than it does on Strange in Stereo and this contributes to making the album resonant.

This is still not a perfect album and loses some steam when compared to Katatonia’s best efforts, for example.  There is simply not enough of a good production job to make the album as timeless as those efforts.  This is still a valid and timeless record in its own right and very effective at gaining your attention.

All in all, this is one of the more beautiful albums you shall hear and a real treat.  It is not as outright outstanding as Anathema or Katatonia’s best work, yet it is quite excellent and a real emotional affair from start to end.  Fans of the band will probably find this their best work and be highly impressed by it.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Allan on July 30, 2002.

“What exactly is an epic?” It has been a question that has been tampering with my mind lately. I’ve finally found an answer that satisfies me for now. I’d say it is something; in this case music, which has a few distinctive qualities about it. Those qualities are heroic, impressive, grand, elevated, or simply a vast musical panorama. It’s that, or we could just say listen to In The Woods...'s “Omnio”.

In The Woods... sound is somewhat akin to, well, themselves. They’re quite original for sure, both in sound and style. Their sound is comprised of the usual instruments, but also some acute orchestration with a quartet of strings. Though, the strings do not need to be present for that feel to come alive. It is their sense of orchestral song writing that makes the atmosphere of “Omnio” so epic. Not all the weight lies on their song writing preferences though. The vocals are one of the most beautiful factors about the music. There is one male vocalist, accompanied by one female. The black shrieks found on In The Woods...’s previous album “Heart of the Ages” are now a rarity, thankfully. The male vocals usually dominate the music with power and prowess, enclosing the listener in their majestic tranquility. The female vocals are angelic and often take a very large part in different sections of the album, creating a hypnotizing experience. Both the vocals become even livelier when they perform together, creating a whole new experience on their own. This would all mean nothing of course, were they not supported by the proper instrumental backing. You know they are though, of course. The riffs never have a dull moment, the chord progressions are beautiful, and the climaxes (a must in epic music) are perfectly in place and frequent. The guitars are often interacting with each other, doing separate things, or they are creating lush harmonies. No matter what each member of the band is doing though, it all seems to fall right into place at the right time to create the perfect musical sphere.

Bottom Line: One of the true gems of the 90’s metal scene; a must-hear to all fans of music.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 10
Originality: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10