Funereal Presence – The Archer Takes Aim
The latest from Funereal Presence, solo project of drummer Bestial Devotion (of post-punk be-speckled black metallers Negative Plane), smacks you in the face with yet another unapologetic homage to ’90s BM gods, but showcases more than enough non-black ingredients and compelling Negative Plane weirdness to warrant attentiveness on the part of the seeker. For while The Archer Takes Aim‘s production remains Darkthrone-esque throughout, with bass warbling underneath guitars and that rehearsing-in-the-next-room overall sound, BD’s guitars clang and clatter at odd moments, conjuring up a ‘happier’ Joy Division tone (and maybe a melted Man Or Astroman LP or two) without leaving behind any of the Scandinavian spookiness. And Funereal Presence’s placement of well-executed black/thrash elements, heard first upon the closing moments of album opener ‘The Tower Falls’, are reminiscent of Possessed and, perhaps even more so, their respected grandchildren Aura Noir. These speed sounds add more fuel to an already potent fire; Bestial Devotion incorporates them to great effect upon track ‘Gestalt Des Endes’, wherein thrash is stitched to even more classic metal tropes. Five minutes into this sixteen minute opus, a marching yet melodic riff joins hands with a vibrato-ridden male vocal, setting up the forthcoming simple, catchy, nigh-NWOBHM solo/harmony line that tears down those aforementioned ‘practice room walls’ in favor of a far more expansive cavalcade of metal hyperbole, one fraught with hammer-ons and proggy, chorded guitar overlays.
Organs, clean vocals, clanging bells, black metal riffs underpinned with canonic styles and non-metal influences … if, with Funereal Presence, Bestial Devotion set out to separate himself fully from Negative Plane, that may not have happened here, but no matter – music fans have been gifted with a USBM album that refuses to be filed in the garbage with most modern black metal. A solid full-length debut following the 2011 10” EP, The Archer Takes Aim 12” LP has earned a spot in this writer’s earholes (and is a steal at $14 from Ajna Offensive). -Jim
The Anja Offensive
Worm Gear 
Great review Marty. I really love this record. It is at the top of BM releases for me this year.
Marty thanks you haha! Kidding, it’s mine (just now ‘signed’ it). I agree, one of the best USBM releases of 2014 \m/
Doh, haha. thought marty did all the reviews this week, picking up your slacky slack. : )