Customer Reviews

Funeral of Being

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The simple melodies on this recording are, I think, as beautiful as those I've heard on any record. Of course, to hear the melodies, you can't get too distracted by Xasthur's slow, repetitive, super-distorted electric guitar chord strumming; the feedback; the layers of electronic noise of one type or another; and the occasional blast of explosive screaming from Xasthur. This is music that expresses some great personal sadness, anger or other great pain. It's a perfect blend of doom metal, dark ambient and noise music. The continuity is tight; the entire recording flows smoothly from the beginning to the end. It's both a sensitive and an epic work.

First of all, The Funeral of Being is an underrated album. The Funeral of Being had a lot to live up to after the fantastic Nocturnal Poisoning, which is still hailed to this day as Malefic's best work. And although I personally believe that this record holds up in comparison to past releases, some people were unsatisfied with this effort and considered it to be a weak follow up. For the most part, Malefic took Xasthur's sound into a completely different direction, so people expecting more of the same will of course be disappointed. On this release Malefic toned down the usage of synths and distorted the guitars even more - creating a more uncanny, dreamlike atmosphere that does not depend on the excessive usage of synthesizers. Other than that, the drums still trudge along buried low in the mix and dreamy arpeggios are still played on top of layers and layers of fuzz and distortion. That is pretty much Xasthur's trademark sound, but it is done differently on The Funeral of Being. While everything in Nocturnal Poisoning seemed far away and distant, The Funeral of Being is more confrontational and in your face.

Overall, I think that this is one of Malefic's most consistent and refined sounding records. It doesn't sound like Nocturnal Poisoning, but it does sound like a perfected version of A Gate Through the Bloodstained Mirrors. The common denominator that links all of Malefic's work together is the guitar work. Once again, Malefic indulges in layering guitars in order to create a wall of sound. It becomes apparent that this is the key element to Xasthur's sound. In the end, Xasthur shows that true black metal is still striving. Of course, the scene is in a weakened state, but bands like Xasthur show that black metal has the ability to evolve.

Long before I bought this album, I had illegally downloaded the files for myself to listen to.
Seeing now that I have finally paid "Malefic" for his work, I no longer feel the need to hide my past transgressions.
This album, like most of his, comes in its own flavor and style. It'd be hard to put a description on it, but I think it can be summed up with a few words: cold, depressing, atmospheric and funereal.
Who could not feel a slight movement towards the thoughts and inner-most and deepest feelings of suicide after listening to this?
The album retains a very sinister, decrepit and ashy quality - which I think is really pronounced at its karma-point on songs like: "Sigils Made of Flesh and Trees," "Blood From the Roots of the Forest, Part 1," and "The Awakening to the Unknown Perception of Evil."