FUNERAL “Forgotten Abominations”
Release Date: June, 2011 (originally released in 2004)
Label: Nuclear Winter Records
There was a time back in the early 90s where a flood of inspiration had conquered the metal underground. Far away from the commercial lights of a decaying mainstream soon to be devoured by grunge, subgenres were springing like geysers. Appropriately named, the doom/death genre gathered all those bands combining the teleological, mournful aspects of doom and the harshness and aggression of death metal. So came MY DYING BRIDE, PARADISE LOST, TREBLINKA/TIAMAT, CATHEDRAL (on their debut) and many more worthy acts but somewhere along the way most of them chose to experiment with their sound and follow different paths.
But the doom/death subgenre, although once again away from publicity, continued to produce beautifully distressing sounds. One of them was the “Forgotten Abominations” 2004 demo from Swedes FUNERAL, now re-released for the first time on CD (also on 12” LP) by Nuclear Winter Records. In the 3 tracks (running at about 18 minutes), they present slow funeral doom reminiscent of the heavy rhythmic parts of PARADISE LOST “Gothic” era and MY DYING BRIDE (mostly on their “Symphonaire Infernus…” EP) as well as marching old-school Swedish death metal owing much to NIHILIST/ENTOMBED and the rest of the scene leaders. No melodies here though, only massive riffs. The almost nine minute opus “Sacramental Blasphemy” reminds us why this kind of music will always survive. No other sound has described more successfully the emotions of despair, misery and pure hate towards other people, society in general and –ultimately- towards our own selves.
The Anti-Flesh Nimbus 