Live Review: Forlorn with Swarmed & Healing Wound at The Black Heart, Camden, London (28/03/25)

It’s a night of celebration inside the Black Heart of Camden. Forlorn, the captivating and innovate folk-horror band have released their long-awaited debut album, ‘Aether’ and the venue is playing host to a live performance by the band, alongside Swarmed and Healing Wound.

Now, the Black Heart has played host to many unique things, some of which I’ve witnessed, but rarely have I taken part in something as unique as what Forlorn offered pre-show. A pre-rite gathering that was for a small number of people, we took part in a smoke cleansing ceremony, took part in a spell-crafting workshop, got to talk to the band, ask them questions, and more. It was a really great way to set the mind up for the experience that would follow later… and what an experience it was.

Forlorn realised, Aether is the culmination of a journey, but the start of another. Forlorn’s unique identity has finally come to fruition, and with this debut album, they express who and what they are with mighty aplomb. While they can be summed up to some degree as a ‘folk horror’ metal band, the Aether experience showcases so much more. Not only is it a record with depth, dramatic depth, but it’s experimental and that is what gives this album its longevity.

These are words I wrote about ‘Aether’, you can read the full review here, and they are words that are relevant to this live show too. Forlorn have a clearer identity now, and even when having to work against sound issues, they do a phenomenal job of showing the unique ethereal aspects to their intense sound and how their stage show is beginning to evolve.

Before a room full of people were treated to such a magical experience, some massive props have to be given to the two support bands; Healing Wound and Swarmed. The former hails from Brighton and plays a thrilling form of blackened metalcore, whereas the latter (London-based) sits more in the ‘modern’ metal side of things, evident by the energetic experimental edge they have. Both bands take advantage of a near sold-out venue, and both deliver unforgettable blasts of memorable heaviness that showcases their individual personalities.

It’s all about Forlorn though, as it should be, and you can feel the excitement in the air as even a simple thing like a mic stand made to look like tree branches feels important. When Forlorn say they’re inviting us into their world, they mean it, and their world is one you sink into. The album is the showcase, of course, and so many of its songs are made to be performed live. Yet, impossibly, there’s even more power in this environment. It’s like there are vibrations in the air, spreading out from the stage, and it’s impossible to not be transfixed by the sounds and sights.

It can be so brutal, but it also be so damn beautiful too, but that’s Forlorn in all their glory. Fingers snapped, and just like that, it ends. Forlorn realised indeed. Not only on record now, but in the flesh too.