It’s the weekend! What better way to get it started than with the latest installment of “Funeral Doom Friday”. This weekly column looks to shed some light onto some of the darkest, most depressing, and discordant metal out there. Funeral Doom stems from the deepest depths of Death-Doom and Dirge music. Each week, the goal is to highlight some of the newest music or rediscover classic works from some of the earliest bands and originators such as Australia’s Mournful Congregation, United States’s Evoken, UK’s Esoteric and the Finnish Thergothon. Feel free to share your opinions and suggestions in the comments!
A contemporary of mine named Grant Skelton at No Clean Singing eloquently said of London's Eye of Solitude and their forth full-length album, Cenotaph:
"A band who can invite you into the essence of their music — even if the emotions expressed within it don’t necessarily apply to you at this moment — is powerful. Cenotaph is an album that you don’t just listen to. Instead, you live it. For all 55 minutes, Cenotaph isn’t just Eye Of Solitude’s story. It’s your story."
Skelton premiered the new album from the Death Doom/Funeral Doom quintet ahead of its official release yesterday. This four-song effort delves into complex levels of sadness that resonate not only through instrumental chords but through emotional ones as well. Eye of Solitude features vocalist Daniel Neagoe (Clouds, Shape of Despair, Pantheist, etc.) as well as Chris Davies (bass), Adriano Ferrero (drums), Mark Antoniades, and Steffan Gough (guitars). Cenotaph also features a guest appearance from Yhdarl and Clouds (among a multitude of projects) member, Deha, whose background in genres like Death Doom and Funeral Doom adds a great deal to the album's third track, "This Goodbye, The Goodbye."
The other tracks on Cenotaph also exhibit similar trends. They all eclipse the proverbial ten-minute mark and all tell crestfallen stories of individual laments. Neagoe threads clean vocals and harsh roars over layered guitars and drums brimming with despondence. These sections culminate in a deeply poignant affair. Much like Skelton alluded to, Cenotaph hits on a personal level. Whether or not someone experiences sorrow to the extent that Eye of Solitude conveys is ultimately within the emotional confines of the listener. What was personally the most striking feature of this album was how much I was able to grasp the sorrow it imparted. Sadness is a complex emotion to comprehend and to grapple it so swiftly was a fulfilling victory of sorts.
Overall, the successes of Cenotaph do not rest solely in what one person feels from the record. Its success comes in part from how well executed it is. Eye of Solitude channeled an early Peaceville Records sound that many long for (myself included). Their combination of Death Doom and Funeral Doom has resulted in one of the most exhilarating releases this column has featured this year. Cenotaph can be found below. Take some time to sit with the album. It is a very beautiful and emotionally charged album that is worthy of the time, money and emotional investment.
