Funeral Leech is a death/doom band from New York, New York who formed in 2015. Their new album, “The Illusion of Time” is their second full-length album, in addition to have a demo.
Doom, in all its myriad forms, is by far my favorite genre so few things get me more excited than an album that mixes it with disgusting, decaying death metal. “The Illusion of Time” is such an album, combining mid-to-slow paced doom metal with crushing old-school death.
There is a truly evil and harrowing atmosphere to the album—-it has such a classic feel to it while sounding modern thanks to its production and mix that is appropriately raw but open enough to truly grasp the often cavernous nature of the music.
The pacing of the album is insane—the band really knows when to put the peddle down hard and speed up or when to get down to crawling in pain on the ground like funeral doom. Each song flows smoothly even while presenting such abrasive and against-the-grain music. Not only that but it flows very well from song to song. The forty-three minute runtime across five tracks breezes by so well that this demands a lot of replay and never gets old.
There are use of key/synths too and they only add to the nightmarish atmosphere. Likewise, the album’s incorporation of melody just casts a dim light so the murky depths can be seen in an even more frightening way.
Since the album “only” has five songs, I’ll say a little about each of them.
“...And The Sky Wept” opens up the album with an eerie atmosphere that moves through like a ghost. Some sort of weird shouting comes out of the background just before the band drops the hammer. The riffs are deep with a great tone–this is the exact kind of guitar tone I want for this style. The bass is a beast—an every moving rumbling earthquake.
Around the 5:30 mark, the song slows to a dirge and if you didn’t think it couldn’t get heavier than the beginning then you’re wrong.
“Ceaseless Wheel of Becoming,” opens with an old school approach, the entire band on a nonstop quest to bulldoze everything in front of them. The bass digs deep, perfectly accenting the dropping of the riffs. The drums hit hard but never cover up the music but instead provide a strong focus and foundation. I love the mid section—so slow, the music having the depth of an endless void. This is what doom is all about.
“Penance,” is one of my favorites on the album, a very interesting song that lets the bass take the lead and isn’t afraid to use the synths/keys to incorporate some truly scary melody. The track is darkly melodic from the 6:00 mark all the way to the end but Gothenburg it isn’t. This is a funeral, a dedication to death and the journey over.
The last two songs, “Chronofixion,” and “The Tower” truly push the album to the next level. “Chronofixion,” has undeniable groove and energy, riding the line between death and doom while perfectly complimenting each style.
More of the band’s unique approach to melody creeps in after the 3:30 mark, creating a massive movement that is introspective and arcane but still just as heavy as anything else on the album, in its own way. Afterwards, the song seamlessly slides back into a behemoth.
“The Tower,” is an 11-minute death/doom epic and one of the best ending songs I’ve heard this year. From beginning to end this is a truly massive song that, well, towers above all. There isn’t a second that passes by that doesn’t belong there. From the synth/death mix in the begging, the brutal and fast paced mid-section, to the chaotic finishing, the band uses its time well to make sure every moment truly belongs.
Funeral Leech’s “The Illusion of Time” is starting off April right for both death and doom. This is a very impressive album that needs to be on the radar for not only doom fans but any fan of extreme metal that is chock full of potent songwriting.
No comments:
Post a Comment