Today, the Crypt creeks open after nearly a full lunar cycle of silence. Thus, the cloaked courier from Fólkvangr Records returns with a highly anticipated release from Maryland’s Funerary Descent.
I have been excited to hear a new full length record from these guys since I came across their prior EP Winds of Dissonance, which presented a downright gloomy and hypnotic sound though, unfortunately, very short. This EP had solidified this artist in my mind as one to watch, carving their name into the tombstone that is my brain as a constant reminder: We are Funerary Descent, and we are here to spiral you into lunacy. The Maryland based duo ferociously scramble together a blackened murk of funeral doom that can’t be classified entirely as either single genre, but simultaneously demanding action from both. All of the qualities from the previous EP have been manifested into a slobbering mass of funereal haze on the new record.
Ov Chasms Beyond is a giant stride forward for the band. After a rather noisy and harsh self-titled debut, the band showed that they were trying to alter and focus their sound into something entirely new, which they have brilliantly displayed on their latest effort. From start to finish, it is incredibly difficult to predict which direction the band will take with the next passage. At times, the music leans on its raw, vampiric black metal influence with a miasma of hallucinotory interludes. Other times, the funeral doom influence takes the spotlight with strong and demanding melodies, pulling in every direction to drive the gloom, pain, and isolation brought forth by these two powerful genres. The album ends with a chasmic outro of graven dirges that truly reflect the record’s namesake.
It is worth noting that the type of music Funerary Descent has stylized fares much better when it is given room to stretch out. In other words, the funereal atmosphere on Ov Chasms Beyond is given much more time to spread out and establish itself (nearly forty minutes) whereas the much shorter EP did not have time to root the darkness that oozes from their music. Through the use of earthy recordings, cathedral-like passages, and battle iron clashing, Funerary Descent deeply plant their seed on this record. Once it grabs you, it refuses to release you until it has brought you through the maelstrom of wraiths and mossy tombs that comprise this truly unique album.
If there is one area I would like to see Funerary Descent strengthen a bit for their future releases, it would be the vocals. That’s not to say the vocals aren’t effective, quite the opposite; that being said, I think they are proving they are a nocturnal force to be reckoned with, and their aptitude would only be strengthened through a small variation in vocal sounds that would match the constantly ebbing sound of their music. In that sense, I think they have serious potential.
Ov Chasms Beyond is set for a cassette release through Fólkvangr Records on April 27th, 2018. A digital version of the album will be available through the artist directly upon release. Prior releases from Funerary Descent are available through their Bandcamp as well.
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-Lurker
The Moldy Crypt 