Tragedies/Tristesse [IMPORT]

Funeral

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: June 24, 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Firedoom Finland
• ASIN: B000EZ8SDC
• Also Available in:
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,387 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Taarene

2. Under Ebony Shades

3. Demise

4. When Nightfall Clasps

5. Moment in Black

6. Forlorn [*]

Disc: 2

1. Thoughts of Tranquillity

2. Poem for the Dead

3. Yearning for Heaven

4. Heartache [*]

5. Dying (Together as One) [*]

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

UK release. Funeral formed in 1991 out of the ashes of another band by drummer (then guitarist) Anders Eek and guitarist Thomas Angell. Early '93 bassist Einar Fredriksen was recruited from his old thrash-metal band Anti-Chord, and Funeral recorded it's first demo 'Tristesse' later that year. Wild Rags Records released the demo in '94 as a MCD. Early '94 singer Toril Snyen joined, and the demo 'Beyond All Sunsets' was recorded. This got the attention from amongst others the Norwegian label Arctic Serenades, which led to the release of the album 'Tragedies' in 1995. These releases gave birth to the underground doom-metal term: funeral-doom. In 1999 Funeral recorded 'Demo 99' (also referred to as The Passion Play). This featured 6 tracks, and led Funeral to the release of the album 'In Fields Of Pestilent Grief' in 2001, through Nocturnal Music. In january 2003 utter tragedy befell upon the band, as bassist/singer and songwriter Einar Fredriksen died. This led the band to a near disbandment, and Funeral laid dormant for a year and a half. Then Eek started up again with yet some line-up changes. In 2004 four of the ten Academy-tracks (originally recorded in 1997) were partly re-written, and was Frode Forsmo`s first work as Funeral singer. This was intended as a new demo, but ended up not being released, as totally new material was written, which ultimately led to a new deal with a well-known English label, for which the band is currently in negotiations with, signing up for a 3-album release. 2005 saw the band recording a new 9-track album with the working title "From These Wounds" (based upon one of the poems of Einar Fredriksen). Firedoom Records. 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two of the best albums ever made, September 28, 2006

By	Amudiel "Da Beazt's Prophet" (Vzla) - See all my reviews

Darkness..plain darkness..this is what these cds evoke..

Extremely slow and heavy riffs accompany a "cruelty and the beast" singing (a sweet, female voice accompanied by a low, agressive male growler), creating an atmosphere of misery and despair. Esporadic acoustic interludes and guitar solos give you a break from the overall darkness of the discs.

Don't buy this if you aren't used to Doom Metal.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funeral DOOM Metal, March 4, 2007

By	Christopher Girvan "wolfgirv" (Menzies Creek- Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This re-issue of the first Funeral recordings is a welcome bonus for the small group of admirers of this, the darkest, most doom-laden of all doom metal bands. It was this band that created the term 'funeral_doom_metal.'

This two disc set features male growls complimented with angelic female vocals. But do not think of this as being another "beauty and the beast' sound made popular by more recent bands like Nightwish, Tristania, Sirenia, Sins of thy Beloved etc. This is closer to a Draconian sound, but slower, keyboardless and infinitly DARKER. Tragedies features male/female vocals whilst Tristesse has dominant male growls on the first three tracks and male/female vocals on the last two which reflect the transition of the bands sound, as Tristesse was the earlier work. The drum and bass sound plays very slow, opens frequently with a deceptively gentle classical guitar intros, and each song is ten minutes long at least, with two tracks on Tristesse, Poem for the dead, and Dying (together as one),17 and 18 minutes long.

The booklet with this set features all the dark doom-ladened lyrics, which read like 19th Century poetry, and with a total playing time of almost two hours and twenty minutes, Tragedies is 70.06 and Tristesse is 69.51, this is the finest, most intense, performance of Funeral metal you will ever hear in one set.

Also look out for the excellent upcoming release 'From these Wounds' this month (March 2007)which has the same slow, dark, sound but this time with clean male vocals and keyboards, and if you can find it, seek out Funeral's female vocal dominated masterpiece "In fields of pestilent grief".

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Slower, November 30, 2007

By	Sterno (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews

Since the original CD release of TRAGEDIES will cost you over $100 (if you can find it), this might be the only way to hear this tremendous funereal Doom band. Hailing from Norway, Funeral was the first band to slow it down this much, add female soprano vocals, and sing about the utter hopelessness of it all with such polished perfection. Although the TRISTESE mCD is included, it's TRAGEDIES that you want to hear, since by this release the band had refined its style to the point of sublime, heart-wrenching anguish. Brilliant playing, especially by drummer Andres Eek. Playing drums this slowly, while maintaining the requisite heaviness, is not an easy thing to do. The vocals, especially Toril Snyen's angelic soprano pipes, are to die for. This is the real thing, folks, the origin of a Metal subgenre that has yet to produce anything else that surpasses this amazing release. TRISTESE is just OK, giving one a taste of the glory and ponderous madness that is TRAGEDIES, but the second release is Doom like no other. This affordable package will truly satisfy the most discriminating Doom fanatic. Suffer in beauty!