Funeral Mist - Salvation review
Band: | Funeral Mist |
Album: | Salvation |
Style: | Black metal |
Release date: | July 2003 |
01. Agnus Dei
02. Breathing Wounds
03. Holy Poison
04. Sun Of Hope
05. Perdition's Light
06. Across The Qliphoth
07. Realm Of Plagues
08. Circle Of Eyes
09. Bread To Stone
10. In Manus Tuas
Some years ago I saw the cover of Funeral Mist's debut and thought "I bet it's just mindless blasturbation".
I was wrong... Now, I do enjoy some Black Metal that is full of blasts but it gets really boring after a while and the main reason is that those bands are inconsistent with their music. Funeral Mist on the other hand don't have that problem.
So, what do we have here? Pure chaos, that's what you'll get from the cd. The music is fast, furious and with lots of blasts but there's something special about this album and that's the extremely blood-chilling "ceremonial" atmosphere. This music is evil.
Guitars as sharp and rusty as an old chainsaw playing both raw and melodic riffs, well-executed drums and eerie samples are the main formula here. Even though the guitarwork is astonishing with it's evil melodies and the drumming is intense with it's calculated variety, the most important thing is the vocal work. Arioch (aka Mortuus from Marduk) is easily the star of the show with his incredible vocals.
A prophet's charisma and a general's commanding voice... Put these two attributes into the mind of a possessed man and you'll get Arioch's vocal style. His thundering voice combined with impressive lyrics makes his performance one of the best ones this unholy genre have seen in the last decade. There are many memorable moments in Salvation when it comes to the vocal work: The diabolical beginning of "Breathing Wounds", The inspiring chorus of "Holy Poison", Arioch's furious commands in "Across The Qliphoth" and those are just some examples among many. Sometimes the wall of noise is caused by the vocals that overlap each other giving the album an even more chaotic vibe. Choirs are also a very special feature with the best example being "Circle Of Eyes", the album's longest song that is a bit simple in songwriting but the choir evokes an atmosphere that is so hypnotic that you won't be bored.
One of the biggest reasons to why this album might be hard to get into is the production. It's very raw and loud so it might be a turn off but people with trained ears will pass through the offensive wall of noise and listen to the great musicanship. I have to admit that sometimes I'd like this album to have a cleaner production because there are some excellent riffs (like in "Perdition's Light") but the production makes the melodies sound a bit blurry. But as usual, this production adds to the surreal and pitch-black atmosphere so it's hard to complain.
If you like your black metal to be intelligent and "in-your-face", search no more and listen to this rare pearl until your ears bleed!
"For your blindness gives me sight, as your darkness is for me light!"
Rating breakdown
Performance: | 10 |
Songwriting: | 9 |
Originality: | 9 |
Production: | 8 |
Written by X-Ray Rod | 22.02.2010
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
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