Wow. Holy-friggan-wow. That’s it. That’s
all I’ve got to say.
Well… ok, I *suppose* I’ll clarify things
for you. Picky little SOB’s that you are, wanting
things like “details” and “pertinent
info” in your album reviews. So here goes:
“From These Wounds” is the latest offering
from Norwegian doom metal act FUNERAL. These guys
are aptly named for a couple of reasons.
#1. The music that FUNERAL craft is epic funeral doom
of mythical proportions.
#2. Two founding members of the band have died in
the recent past: bassist/songwriter Einar Frederiksen
in 2003, and guitarist Christian Loos in 2006. So
suffice it to say death and despair have been familiar
companions to the band, which surely has had an appreciable
influence on the band and is evident in their creative
works.
The music that comprises “From These Wounds”
is somber, melodic, crushingly heavy at times and
practically ethereal at others, all the while progressing
in a ponderous pace which lulls and hypnotizes as
it immerses you in a beautifully bleak world of woe.
The vocals of Frode Forsmo are an absolutely perfect
fit for the music. He sounds like he was taken directly
out of a Gregorian monastery. With his baritone voice
and his chant-like delivery, the effect is stunning;
subdued but with enough inflection to carry the obvious
weight of remorse, his voice plumbs the depths of
gothic melancholy with an understated fluency. Think
of Peter Steele in one of his more gothic chant moments.
The only con I can point to when describing this
album, and I really don’t think it’s such
a negative in the end, is that while expressive and
atmospheric, “From These Wounds” has a
tendency to become slightly monotonous. But, by it’s
very nature, funeral doom is a droning, plodding affair,
so this seemingly negative aspect can be seen as an
asset.
Through a history of tragedy and adversity, FUNERAL
has proven, irrefutably, the old maxim ‘that
which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.
The band, as a whole, remains alive and well and their
sound is mighty indeed.
Bottom Line: Epic and atmospheric goth-doom, fans
of TYPE-O NEGATIVE and PARADISE LOST simply *must*
own this album. That’s not a suggestion, that’s
a direct order. “From These Wounds” is
a delicious delicacy of despair, dripping with doom
and droning with diaphanous degrees of despondency.
Key Tracks: “From These Wounds”; “Red
Moon”; “Pendulum”
Reviewed by Farron Watson
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