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. Please feel free to also share thoughts or suggestions for future installments in the comments section below or to me directly on Twitter.
Earlier this year, Iran's Urnscent emerged with their first funerary offering. In early February, the trio released The Earthen Knot, a 16-minute track that certainly caught my ear. This week, the band returns with their second EP in roughly three months. The new release, Epoch, contains two, brand-new tracks that follow a similar path as its predecessor.
Urnscent's work still channels Iranian poet, Omar Khayyam. Their lyrics echo the poet's writing again. This time they are different sections of Khayyam's The Rubiayat. "The Tavern of Wayfarers" and "To Walk the Meads of Lilium" both have their respective verses. The music itself taps into a similar well as The Earthen Knot—evocative and powerful in its execution.
Check out Epoch below right now. Follow Urnscent on Facebook also.
