If you are into doom you should be well aware of who Funeral are, the band have been incredibly important in the development of doom, in particular of funeral doom the sub-genre that carries their name. However, if you are new to the groundbreaking Norwegian band, they formed in 1991 and in the thirty years since they formed have released 5 albums before Praesentialis In Aeternum. Their debut, Tragedies was released in 1995, 6 years later in 2001 Funeral released In Fields Of Pestilent Grief. Five years after In Fields Of Pestilent Grief came From These Wounds, and two years later in 2008 they released As The Light Does The Shadow, four years later Funeral released their last album in 2012’s Oratorium. So the near decade the band have taken to produce Praesentialis In Aeternum is the longest gap between albums in the bands career.
A lot of the large gaps between albums have been attributed to Funeral’s lineup which never seems to be constant. Their lineup has changed many times, sometimes for tragic reasons as two of the bands long-term members have died. The centre of Funeral is founder and only constant member Anders Eek on drums, on Praesentialis In Aeternum Eek is joined by Erlend Nybø on guitars, Magnus Tveiten on guitars, Sindre Nedland on vocals, Rune Gandrud on bass and Andrè Aaslie on orchestration. The album also features the talents of Lars Are Nedland of Borknagar guesting on the track Ånd.
Funeral’s sound is monumentally huge funeral doom (which isn’t that surprising considering the name) with a little bit of death doom for good measure. The album also features Orchestral elements like lush strings and huge sounding brass instruments. The classical elements are sometimes featured on their own, such as at the beginning of opening track Ånd, or in most of the tracks where a short blast of horns and strings is used to punctuate some of the songs. These orchestral elements are also layered in with the heavy guitar, bass and drums, to get an effect that is huge, sweeping and deeply affecting, it’s a similar effect to the recent Triptykon Live album recorded with the Metropole Orkest. One of the most effective places this is used is on the track Erindring II - Fall.
The main feel on the album is funeral doom, there is a crushing sadness that runs through a lot of the material, giving this the mournful feel that I usually associate with funeral doom, however there is a definite death/doom sense to some of the material; an aggressiveness and purposeful drive that is more death/doom than funeral doom. This aggressiveness is apparent on the track Her til evig tid (Ånd Epilog), and also on the song Dvelen, which has some very nastily effective death metal vocals.
One of the main things that stays with you after listening to this album are the beautifully somber and melancholy tunes and melodies. While listening to this I have found myself humming tunes from this album, a couple of listens and they’re in your head. One of the best ways Funeral do brilliantly sad melodies is with guitar harmonies, in a few places this is reminiscent of Warning (considering the ages of these bands is quite possible the lush guitar harmonies on Warnings material is very reminiscent of Funeral, whoever inspired who, the harmonies are wonderful). In some places on the album the melodies sound a lot older than on the rest of the album. The final song on the album, Samarithan feature melodies that sound fairly Baroque, closer to the kind of melodies that Medieval black metal bands are producing at the moment. It’s a little different to the rest of the album, but I found it a beautiful way to bring the album to its close.
Although all the elements of this album I have already talked about are fantastic, the thing that really stands out are the vocals. Lead singer Sindre Nedland has an amazing voice, deep, clear and sonorous, and his death vocals are good as well, but what really makes the vocals on this album stand out are the backing vocals. All through this album there is one main voice (Sindre Nedland), but backed up by layered vocals that sound close to a Male Voice Choir. When these link up the combination is so good; it feels massive, operatic and stirring. The vocals on this album are some of the best I’ve ever heard and make this already outstanding album sublime.
Praesentialis In Aeternum is a spectacular piece of doom. The album feels huge, in some ways it is huge as it comes in at an hour and twenty seven minutes long, which surprised me when I looked, as the album feels about an hour long, nothing drags, you get lost in it. Melodically this is stunning, one of the best doom albums I’ve ever heard, so many great, sad tunes, backed up by brilliant musicianship, and a great sense of dynamics. If you then add the fantastic orchestral elements and breathtaking vocals and this is easily the best doom studio album I’ve heard this year, or any other year for that matter! If you like doom, do yourself a favour and get this album. 9/10
A lot of the large gaps between albums have been attributed to Funeral’s lineup which never seems to be constant. Their lineup has changed many times, sometimes for tragic reasons as two of the bands long-term members have died. The centre of Funeral is founder and only constant member Anders Eek on drums, on Praesentialis In Aeternum Eek is joined by Erlend Nybø on guitars, Magnus Tveiten on guitars, Sindre Nedland on vocals, Rune Gandrud on bass and Andrè Aaslie on orchestration. The album also features the talents of Lars Are Nedland of Borknagar guesting on the track Ånd.
Funeral’s sound is monumentally huge funeral doom (which isn’t that surprising considering the name) with a little bit of death doom for good measure. The album also features Orchestral elements like lush strings and huge sounding brass instruments. The classical elements are sometimes featured on their own, such as at the beginning of opening track Ånd, or in most of the tracks where a short blast of horns and strings is used to punctuate some of the songs. These orchestral elements are also layered in with the heavy guitar, bass and drums, to get an effect that is huge, sweeping and deeply affecting, it’s a similar effect to the recent Triptykon Live album recorded with the Metropole Orkest. One of the most effective places this is used is on the track Erindring II - Fall.
The main feel on the album is funeral doom, there is a crushing sadness that runs through a lot of the material, giving this the mournful feel that I usually associate with funeral doom, however there is a definite death/doom sense to some of the material; an aggressiveness and purposeful drive that is more death/doom than funeral doom. This aggressiveness is apparent on the track Her til evig tid (Ånd Epilog), and also on the song Dvelen, which has some very nastily effective death metal vocals.
One of the main things that stays with you after listening to this album are the beautifully somber and melancholy tunes and melodies. While listening to this I have found myself humming tunes from this album, a couple of listens and they’re in your head. One of the best ways Funeral do brilliantly sad melodies is with guitar harmonies, in a few places this is reminiscent of Warning (considering the ages of these bands is quite possible the lush guitar harmonies on Warnings material is very reminiscent of Funeral, whoever inspired who, the harmonies are wonderful). In some places on the album the melodies sound a lot older than on the rest of the album. The final song on the album, Samarithan feature melodies that sound fairly Baroque, closer to the kind of melodies that Medieval black metal bands are producing at the moment. It’s a little different to the rest of the album, but I found it a beautiful way to bring the album to its close.
Although all the elements of this album I have already talked about are fantastic, the thing that really stands out are the vocals. Lead singer Sindre Nedland has an amazing voice, deep, clear and sonorous, and his death vocals are good as well, but what really makes the vocals on this album stand out are the backing vocals. All through this album there is one main voice (Sindre Nedland), but backed up by layered vocals that sound close to a Male Voice Choir. When these link up the combination is so good; it feels massive, operatic and stirring. The vocals on this album are some of the best I’ve ever heard and make this already outstanding album sublime.
Praesentialis In Aeternum is a spectacular piece of doom. The album feels huge, in some ways it is huge as it comes in at an hour and twenty seven minutes long, which surprised me when I looked, as the album feels about an hour long, nothing drags, you get lost in it. Melodically this is stunning, one of the best doom albums I’ve ever heard, so many great, sad tunes, backed up by brilliant musicianship, and a great sense of dynamics. If you then add the fantastic orchestral elements and breathtaking vocals and this is easily the best doom studio album I’ve heard this year, or any other year for that matter! If you like doom, do yourself a favour and get this album. 9/10
Ten56 are a new Metal/Deathcore act hailing from France. Since the band have dropped their singles Boy and Kimo they have been featured in reaction videos from trending Youtubers like Nik Nocturnal and HardcoreKeem. This album opens with Exit Bag, just like a brick to the face the pounding guitars that are tuned to low 0C, complemented by poly rhythmic drum patterns whilst it builds up to a chunky down beaten verse in which the singer snarls his way through. Followed by some modern style rapping and some electronic elements, this band knows how to make an opening statement.
The momentum is followed by Diazepam, which carries on the bludgeoning grooves with the drum production accenting each groove and complementing the arrangements flawlessly whilst adding some Korn styled ambient leads. I have got to complement the anxiety inducing breakdown at the end of the track, that will make the hairs of a mole rat stand on end. Sick Dog takes a more of a trip down the more Trap metal route in reference to artist like Scarelord and Ghostemane with the combinations of classic 808 sounding electric drums to the mumbled rapping to the sledgehammer riff drops.
Boy takes the chilling aspect of the band up to ten with lyrical themes depicting murder and Kimo shows off the bands more electronic elements starting off the experimental industrial drum intro to the electronic infused verses. Sandwiched between this is a guttural infused breakdowns and eerie soundscapes that are have been pinched from a Resident Evil scene this leaves the band on cynical high note. I love the direction that this band have took their sound to, with utilising the classic elements of Nu-metal and melding it with the modern Death/metalcore and rap sound it’s like playing a well re-mastered version of your favourite video from your childhood.
The only concern that I have for this album is the intense volume that this album is mastered, there are times where the listening can be quite fatiguing and can sometime discredit the heavy sections of their songs. 9/10.
Winterburn – Ivory Towers (Self Released) [Simon Black]
Winterburn have the virtue of being the first band I have ever reviewed originating from the United Arab Emirates, which let’s face it is not a corner of the world one would naturally associate with the rock and metal genre. I love it when this happens, because it lifts the lid on a scene that generally I know nothing about and, if I am lucky, opens the lid on a whole sub-set of new music to explore.
One of the negatives more often than not though is the frustration of finding a band who know what they like and who can write and deliver the songs and sounds but fall foul of being based in a country where this type of music doesn’t come through the studio doors every day and consequently the production and engineering department then drop the ball because they simply don’t come from a metal (or at least hard rock) background. This just shows you how completely wrong I can be, as in this respect, Winterburn have been very well served. Listening to this I thought that this was an experienced sounding band hailing from a European base with the production sounding rich, fat, crisp and clearly delivered by someone who clearly knows what they are doing on the desk.
Winterburn in fact centers around the incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and song writer Naser Mestarihi, who also takes up vocal duties - as well as proving himself somewhat formidable in the shredding department. In fact every department, as the only other musician involved is Suicidal Tendencies sticks man Thomas Pridgen, who as one would expect delivers a thundering performance.
Mestarihi rather blows one away, as his song-writing has a deep and broad hard rock with twinges of traditional metal vein roaring through it and both his guitar and vocal performances are top notch. It is genuinely a surprise to find that with the exception of Pridgen this is all his work, although I understand that a touring outfit has been mobilized - assuming that we ever get out of this damned pandemic. This is the kind of hard rocking groove that’s going to have a broad appeal and I truly cannot find a song on here that does not work.
It’s mature, well written and avoids all the annoying clichés that so often plague bands from countries with small scenes in this genre. Just to prove his skills, even when he steps back from the mike (which by the way he has a great voice for with a clean, strong and broad range) things can get experimental and stay interesting – again it’s genuinely impressive that the more technical songs like Calijam are just coming from one highly skilled player and a drummer. 8/10
Devil Cross - This Mortal Coil (Fighter Records) [Richard Oliver]
This Mortal Coil is the debut album from US & Canada based band Devil Cross. Devil Cross are another addition to the new wave of traditional heavy metal movement with a sound that is heavily influenced by the NWOBHM and other old school traditional metal acts from the 1980’s. The band is a trio made up of Jo Steel (Ice War, Aphrodite, Cannibal) on vocals and bass, Brennan Whitworth (Aphrodite, Cannibal) on guitars and Trevor William Church (Beastmaker) on drums. This album offers little in the way of surprises being the denim and leather influenced, fist-pumping traditional heavy metal that so many bands are throwing back to these days.
Devil Cross - This Mortal Coil (Fighter Records) [Richard Oliver]
This Mortal Coil is the debut album from US & Canada based band Devil Cross. Devil Cross are another addition to the new wave of traditional heavy metal movement with a sound that is heavily influenced by the NWOBHM and other old school traditional metal acts from the 1980’s. The band is a trio made up of Jo Steel (Ice War, Aphrodite, Cannibal) on vocals and bass, Brennan Whitworth (Aphrodite, Cannibal) on guitars and Trevor William Church (Beastmaker) on drums. This album offers little in the way of surprises being the denim and leather influenced, fist-pumping traditional heavy metal that so many bands are throwing back to these days.
The band obviously know their craft as the album is chock full of heavy metal anthems such as Warrior Deep Inside, Burn The Witch and Dig Your Own Grave which demand horns are raised and fists are banged. There is also a fair chunk of punk influence especially during the speedy Crush, Kill. The band are all excellent musicians as well with plenty of killer riffs, ripping solos and galloping drums but unfortunately all these positives are offset by the absolutely dreadful vocals from Jo Steel.
Jo tries his best but a good singer he really is not and it would have been a much better idea to hire a stronger singer for the band and let Jo stick to bass duties. Although there are points where the vocals are competent there are also points where the vocals made me wince with how out of tune they were. This Mortal Coil is a solid trad metal throwback with some great songs and excellent musicianship but just let down by some absolutely awful vocals. 6/10
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