Finally, the weekend is upon us. What better way to kick it off than with the latest installment of "Funeral Doom Friday". For those who are new to this column; each week features a new or classic album from the realm of extreme doom. Much of funeral/death doom's might comes from an oppressive emotional weight and the use of death or black metal motifs (played at a trudging pace, of course.) Pioneers like Mournful Congregation, Evoken, and Esoteric have mastered this blend of dirge and destruction. For 25 years, they have methodically built compositions that stretch for dozens of minutes all while keeping fans enthralled. Time has elapsed since the days of Thergothon and much like the world around us, the genre has evolved. Today's modern bands contort the very construct of the genre, breeding darkly refreshing new work. Their work thankfully gives this column plenty of material to share.
Enjoy this week's post and check out prior features here. Feel free to also share thoughts or suggestions for future installments in the comments section below.
Germany's Imperceptum continues to be a favorite of this column. The one-man force known as Void has made cosmic, blackened funeral doom for roughly the last 18 months. Each effort is as suffocating and hypnotic as the last. Now Void welcomes another new effort through an (almost) surprise release. The album cover and tracklist for a new, two-song EP called Ascension to A Higher Plain of Existence appeared on Facebook Monday. Within the next 24 hours, it emerged on Imperceptum's Bandcamp page much to the delight of this column.
Many of the blackened elements that populated the previous releases have taken a back seat. Ascension instead opts for a more atmospheric funeral doom. Void's guitars unleash droning riffs throughout much of the EP. Drums meanwhile heavily feature a seven stroke roll in lieu of a classic blast beat. This is not to say they are not present. In fact, these blackened rhythms are sparse. They are a means to emphasize moments where his vocals almost take a barbaric turn. They are crescendos of dying stars that erupt to swallow the listener. Overall, it is a refreshing turn in Imperceptum's still blossoming discography.
Pick up a copy of the EP at Imperceptum's Bandcamp as well as Void's other releases. Listen to Ascension to A Higher Plain of Existence below.
