Although I don’t know exactly how old this Chilean Black Metal band is, I always wonder how it is possible that the creative minds of musicians can’t come up with a more original name than one that has been used 666 times before. I already have a few different Funeral’s in my collection and I will definitely not be the only one. Let us hope that these Chileans have put all their creativity into the music then.
They present 11 songs that together clocks in at almost a full hour, quite a session. To come straight to the point: the Black Metal of Funeral is as original as their band name. Now that should not spoil all the fun, for it is not (always) about originality – I would be quite hypocritical if I would claim that. For the sound on ‘Llamada Funebre’ (which translates to ‘Funeral Call’), these Chileans borrowed all their musical ingredients from Burzum. And then very specific to the debut of Burzum: the guitar sound is almost identical and also the simple drumming (especially the kick-sound) is very similar. Even the singer does his best for a good Varg imitation. The bare, stripped-down sound gives the album that familiar atmosphere. The organ/keyboards added by Funeral are a tasteful addition. But in contrary of Burzum’s debut, it lacks the dense buzzing production that gives that iconic debut that suffocating atmosphere.
Now, as a fan of that first Burzum album, I am not averse to anything that even remotely resembles it, so ‘Llamada Funebre’ tastes fine to me too. It must be said, though, that this is nowhere matched by the unique and ominous sound of Burzum. But the quality that the Chileans bring is above average and it makes this album a pleasant first introduction to Funeral for me – a bit too long, though.
