CoC : Xasthur - The Funeral of Being : Review

Xasthur - _The Funeral of Being_
(Blood, Fire, Death, 2003)
by: Matthias Noll (6.5 out of 10)

For those into ultra-depressive, slow black metal, Xasthur's _Nocturnal Poisoning_ must certainly have been one the highlights of recent years. Unfortunately, _The Funeral of Being_ is just more of the same without ever coming close to the quality of Xasthur's previous full-length album. This new record is grimmer as far as the production is concerned, it has an instantly recognizable sound that is even harsher and colder than before, but it lacks memorable songs and the same kind of hooks that lurked in the dirges of _Nocturnal Poisoning_. The tunes obviously come from different recording sessions and this has the irritating effect of distinct sound differences between individual tracks. Not only does this disturb the flow of the album, it also blunts the effect of getting sucked in by the bleakness and desolation that Xasthur's music emits on a grand scale. This one-man band deserves praise for its unique sound and style, but as much as I wanted to like _TFoB_, to my ears it sounds like a compilation of leftover tracks with inferior quality thrown together to make a full album's worth of material. In comparison to _NP_ this is sadly redundant and probably superfluous for everyone but the most rabid Xasthur lunatics.

(article published 30/1/2004)

ALBUMS
14/10/2006	T DePalma	3	Xasthur - Subliminal Genocide