It was recorded at Graves' basement laboratory and workshop in Queens, New York, in early 1976, in the months preceding the session that yielded the album Bäbi, which featured the same personnel.

When it is excavated from the artist's most visionary period, it's an occasion for celebration... Taken whole, or as the sum of its incidental parts, Children of the Forest is not only a major revelation in Graves' catalog, but a mirror of the creative state of improvised music in New York during the mid-'70s.

He commented: "Before anyone could possibly respond, Graves unrolls polyrhythmic and roiling drum patterns and, within moments, Doyle detonates the brass plating of his saxophone through sheer force of his berserk lung power.

"[8] The New York City Jazz Record's Pierre Crépon wrote: "the point here is not to flow freely in every direction but to work concentratedly on specific registers and how one simple sound could matter... this release is an example of archival material done properly: truly unheard music, substantial notes... and great photography.

"[9] In an article for There Stands the Glass, Bill Brownlee called the album "54 minutes of raw power" and a "scathing barrage," and stated: "when I'm in need of visceral catharsis, I go all in on improvised cacophony...