Marche Funèbre is a death/doom band from Belgium, who formed in 2008. This band has grown into one of my favorite doom bands in recent years. I’m somewhat late in that respect, as I didn’t discover them until 2017’s “Into The Arms of Darkness.” I was fortunate to be able to review their 2020 album “Einderlicht” for Metal Temple; I gave it high marks.
Flash forward four years and they have graced us with their fifth full-length album, “After The Storm.” Not only is it a step up from “Einderlicht” but it’s also the best album they have done so far—and that is certainly speaking volumes!
Their mastery over combining big, sledgehammer heavy riffs with sorrowful yet strangely beautiful melodies has grown exponentially over the years but on “After The Storm,” the band hits their stride, surpasses it, and pushes the band into a whole new level.
The production must be praised…it has a huge sound, nearly bottomless. Despite how depressing and mournful the album is, the melodies and harmonies are also vibrant. The production/mix captures the essence of the album’s songwriting, allowing each note to be heard to its fullest without any one instrument overpowering the others.
Arne’s vocals are truly something to behold. Simply put, he is one of the best vocalists in metal and if this album doesn’t prove that, then any detractors must be deaf. Peter and Kurt’s guitars are as engaging as they ever have been, weaving tapestries as easy as breathing. Their playing is abrasive and sweltering yet flows as smooth as water, transiting to melodic moments with apparent ease. Unfortunately, Peter stepped down after the recordings but this album is one hell of a swansong for him. Boris and Dennis are the meat and potatoes of the band—what doom metal band would be complete with a low end/rhythm battery to power all of this? Both of them offer a full sound that backs up the band but they each sound distinctive in their own right.
Every song on this album is great—not good, not okay, not decent but truly GREAT. Each of the six songs offer many “wow” moments and are extremely catchy, especially for the style. They all stuck in my head and I honestly can’t say I have a favorite in fear of offering disservice to any one of them.
“In A Haze,” opens the album with a perfect band. If this song hits you in the feels then it’s a guarantee the rest of the album will keep your attention without fall. The rhythm is heavy, landing like a sudden storm on what was a quiet, sunny afternoon. The lead guitar is gorgeous, dripping with melancholic energy that permeates throughout the song.
For the first half of the song, Arne growls his face off but offerings a catchy clean vocal chorus at the halfway point. I love how the bass and drums accent the performances, both instruments hitting hard as nails at just the right spots.
The guitars offer twin engines of sorrow in the opening moments of “Palace of Broken Dreams.” The clean instrumentation that arrives afterwards is dark yet serene in a certain way. The bass really becomes the MVP in this part, never letting the song become too floaty. The vocals begin clean early on then growl to include the extreme side–I like the switch up and the fact the band doesn't always want to do the standards heavy/stanzas with clean/chorus. Around the 4 minute mark, it all comes to a stop except for the guitars. This passage is great and sets up a sterling vocal performance. Near the end, harrowing screams and brutal growls lead the way with a backdrop of melodic heaviness. Unreal!
The band is quite potent even in their more atmospheric moments, especially on “Devoid of Empathy.” The guitars are moving—damn, what an emotional display! The vocals are wonderful here, just the right amount of echo…expressive but ethereal in a way. As the song moves along, the music transforms into this expansive movement where it sounds endless. Is it possible to make a wall of sound that still sounds like, well, a song? Yes, yes it is.
“Enter Emptiness,” and its deep clean tones grabbed me immediately. The song builds up fantastically, the slow riffs slowly creepy in like the decay of time. The death growls sent shivers down my spine— growls can be just as poignant as cleans and it's proven here tenfold. Around the 3 minute mark, the death growls scream out from the void…the band’s use of liminal space here is utterly impressive. The lead guitar around the halfway point builds up tension before unfolding like a dismal dream of dismay. The clean vocals as the song closes are haunting.
“Stranded,” begins immediately with crunchy riffs followed by groove. The vocals are catchy as hell, along with the drums. The riff based structure of this song is held together by leads….such cleverly songwriting. The solo around the 5:45 mark is one of the best moments on the album….just insanely emotional. This is probably one of the catchiest songs on the album and I found myself humming along to it, which is something I don't often do with doom metal.
The title track ends in the album and I really like the viciousness in the vocals. Their contrast against the riffs, which are balanced between heavy and melodic, works in its favor. The song sounds immense and terrible (in a good way) but it’s still epic as hell. By the time it hits the halfway point, all these elements have swirled together as a towering presence. After, the five minute mark, the song gets even more special. The growls jump out of the darkness as the drums and bass push the song into a sterling clean performance.
Marche Funèbre’s "After The Storm" is a stunning achievement of modern day doom. This is a prime example of how a band can push their sound forward while still retaining what makes them great. This is a doom metal album that will be loved by even the most hardcore fans of the style (such as myself) but I also think it is well written and catchy enough to pull new fans of the style along with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment