CoC : Autumnia - O'Funeralia : Review

Autumnia - _O'Funeralia_
(Solitude Productions, 2009)
by: Quentin Kalis (8 out of 10)

Formed by an ex and current member of Mournful Gust, the Ukrainian duo has eschewed the folkish doom of their parent band in favour of a more conventional and focused melodious death/doom. The slow pace borders on the funeral, whilst the use of violin is reminiscent of the early Nineties bands, especially My Dying Bride, most apparent at their most melodic. The presence of a violinist makes the comparison easier -- just listen to the opening moments of "Breathe Your Mourning Into Me" for a time warp to 1993. Their lyrics aren't poetic, but they do have a liking for overwrought lyrics littered with near-archaic Latinate terms such as "funeralia" and "obsequial". The vocals are expectedly deep and guttural, while a shorter key tickling and whispered intermezzo neatly bisects the album. Nor is the album wanting for drama, but the clean vox are best avoided. The My Dying Bride comparisons may give the impression that they are cut-and-pastes of the doom legends, and of course, they are heavily inspired by them, but this is also a measured exercise that has their own voice; it may not have fully emerged, but it's there.

Contact: http://autumnia.org

(article published 8/12/2009)