Funeral Mist – Maranatha
Damnation is eternal in the realm of Funeral Mist, and sole member Arioch (also lead screamer for Marduk… there known as “Mortuus”) has condemned you all with “Maranatha”, an 8 track descent into the dogmatic perversions of the cloth. With all the instruments (other than the drums executed by a sessions member), concept, and songwriting handled by Arioch, this CD was quite an undertaking and it shows. “Maranatha” unveils high quality black metal in the razor sharp Swedish vein. Though not focusing too closely on melody to hold ones attention as his country of origins style of black metal would suggest, Funeral Mist scours the airwaves with chaotic dissonance one minute, only for elongated riff drones to pile on the atmosphere, allowing an arsenal of vocal samples, odd synth work, and various choir snippets to come and go to maintain that unceasing feeling of spiritual perversion. It seems this release isn’t too well liked in the black metal community for some reason which seems strange to me. It truly does possess all the necessary staples of the modern genre, a very unconventional concept and layers of harsh sound that intertwine skillfully beneath the canvas of a clear, though raw production. Perhaps it’s the fact that this album plays out like a black metal themed art piece more so than straight up collection of digestible tunes. You really got to work at getting into this album and I found myself appreciating this sort of investment of listening time. “Maranatha” was particularly rewarding on headphones, for you can hear every nuance within these compositions and the forever scaring attack of Arioch’s vocal delivery. Fans of later day Marduk should appreciate this release due to his distinct vocal presence and the untamed speed blasts that do push the levels of tension on this release. There’s a very epic strand of filth woven into the fiber of this material and even though I cannot listen to this level of intensity on a daily basis, I found myself really liking what Arioch has created during his off time from Marduk. –Marty
Ajna/Norma Evangelium Diaboli
Worm Gear 