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Funeral Mass – Shadow of the Raventhrone

funeral mass – shadow of the raventhrone

Info

The Polish Black Metal act Funeral Mass was formed in 2018 by three members of the Blackened Thrash Metal band Deafness. Their first release was the ‘Cold Winds of Desolation’ EP released by the band themselves in the same year, followed by the Mara Productions released debut full-length ‘At the Crossroad of Dark Paths’ in 2019. Persistently continuing their musical journey, the second album ‘Forgotten Kingdoms of the North’ followed in 2020. Now, two years later with a new drummer and additional guitar player, the band is ready to present their latest work baptised ‘Shadow of the Raventhrone’.

The mix of the album makes it clear that we should focus on the melodic guitar leads that are draped over the music of Funeral Mass, and this emphasis on melody in the Polish band’s Black Metal gives it a very distinct late 90’s Swedish Black Metal feel. This is not in the least because of the at times Thrashy rhythm guitars, although compared to the previous album these are a little bit less prominent. With the strong emphasis on melody and the Thrashy undertones, twin guitars and a melancholic atmosphere, a comparison to Dissection is fairly unavoidable. Not to mention that the vocals have a similar ring to them. Even the beautiful artwork courtesy of Dominika “Anihilova” Olszewski matches quite well with that of Dissection, although to be fair more to that of Sacramentum’s ‘Far Away from the Sun’. One big difference with Dissection is the absence of acoustics, and overall Funeral Mass tends to be slightly heavier in sound. But the aforementioned mix focusses so clearly on the melodic lead guitar that the occasional blasting drum violence is a bit subdued. And while by no means a disqualification as the band sure knows how to write captivating and quite stunning melodic riffs, it doesn’t near Jon Nodveidt’s songwriting brilliance. For clarification, it is by no means fair to label Funeral Mass a clone, and they deserve all the credit for creating a solid album filled with melodic Black Metal. And compared to their previous album, the band has certainly grown and taken steps in terms of songwriting. But the songs on the album are simply a tad too long and the melodies a bit dragged out too much, despite that they are worth hearing.

‘The Shadow of the Raventhrone’ is an admirably crafted album, and certainly worth complimenting for their approach to that melodic sound of Dissection, although with a little less finesse in atmosphere and songwriting than the legendary Swedes. A commendable effort, mostly fit for those that yearn for that typical Swedish melody-driven brand of Black Metal from the mid to late 90’s.

Funeral Mass

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