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░ ██ ██ Artist: A Young Man's Funeral ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Thanatic Unlife █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2013 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-01-31 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Fono Ltd. ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Recently a pronounced tendency to make old-school █
█ conventionalized records became quite popular. █
█ This trend can be observed in various subgenres of █
█ metal: from thrash till doom; and what is more █
█ interesting - it turns out to be quite typical of █
█ new-born or just young bands. I am not going to █
█ enlarge on reasoning why it happens, whether it is █
█ a result of satiety and lack of personal, unique █
█ ideas, or just a sincere desire to give credit to █
█ pioneers of the genre and subculture in generalà █
█ The fact is that such cases take place and they █
█ are not rare; so, here we have an appropriate █
█ sample of such a flashback. █
█ A YOUNG MANÆS FUNERAL û a Russian doom/death band, █
█ or more precisely a project of A.S. (Alexey █
█ Slavin), who composes all music and plays all █
█ instruments; lately a second full-length record █
█ was released via Fono Ltd., quite an old Russian █
█ label with an undoubted name. Of course, being █
█ released at so to say cool label is not an █
█ absolute index of worth material any longer, but █
█ ôThanatic Unlifeö was quite an adequate release. █
█ The most salient feature of this record is a sound █
█ recording itself. For a verdant or simply █
█ unprepared listener it may seem weird as all three █
█ tracks are recorded in a very raw, vague manner. █
█ In the beginning a natural question ôDid they █
█ forget to master it?ö arise, nevertheless while █
█ you are listening, it becomes clear that it was █
█ done on purpose. Raw and raspy distortion, █
█ slightly muted vocals, lack of effects û all these █
█ uninviting and questionable tricks turn the album █
█ to a homage to such giants of funeral doom as █
█ THEROGOTHON or early PANTHEIST. █
█ The tracks themselves are quite plane and direct; █
█ they are more logical and rather predictable. █
█ Prominent piano parts, which ôconverseö with █
█ simple and slipshod guitar riffs over the tracks, █
█ are incontrovertible ornamentations of the music. █
█ This duet creates feeling of something sinister, █
█ disturbing yet calm and sometimes even █
█ sentimental. More ônarrativeö vocal, recorded by █
█ E.S. (WHO DIES IN SIBERIAN SLUSH, DECAY OF █
█ REALITY, FORBIDDEN SHAPE), telling three different █
█ stories, refers the listener to the lyrics, which █
█ are generically about corruption and human decay. █
█ All these features together build atmosphere of █
█ coldness and desolation. While you are listening █
█ to ôThanatic Unlifeö a scene of walls of your room █
█ slowly vanishing may appear in mind, and you are █
█ abandoned in an unfamiliar world of decline and █
█ decadence, where it is everlastingly cold and █
█ moist. The latter condition is appropriately █
█ strengthened with a sample of falling rain at the █
█ end of the last track. So, the spirits of the █
█ album are built confidently enough and ôThanatic █
█ Unlifeö definitely leaves a scent in a listenerÆs █
█ memory. █
█ Having heard AlexeyÆs debut work ôTo Never Returnö █
█ with Andre de Hus (SERENITY FORGOTTEN) on vocals, █
█ an apparent progress can be seen. ôThanatic █
█ Unlifeö is more mature record; it is much more █
█ elaborated and finalized. The vocals are more █
█ convincing. Even in terms of recording it is more █
█ ôdigestibleö; I truly believe that the debut was █
█ 99.9% conventionalized record but may I drop dead █
█ if it doesn't sound more like a homemade demo █
█ (sorry, Alexey, donÆt take it too close to your █
█ heart!). █
█ Nevertheless, there is a room for development. Not █
█ in terms of composing or arranging, but in terms █
█ of finding identity and, so to say, singularity. █
█ ôThanatic Unlifeö is a very good album in the view █
█ of shape and of funeral doom icons recognition. At █
█ the same time it lacks emotional aspect which is █
█ super important for every piece of music in every █
█ genre. Roughly speaking, it is the kind of album, █
█ you would put when you do not want to listen to █
█ something specific or do not want any impact on █
█ your mind and imagination. It does not set you █
█ thinking or make you live through emotional shock █
█ of any kind. As I see it, in these efforts to give █
█ credit to the founders, the music loses █
█ associating with time, what ruins a thin magic of █
█ emotional impact. Music becomes more like a █
█ synthetically raised and ôgalvanizedö corpse from █
█ the grave rather than a living creature, █
█ developing and growing here and now. Everything █
█ should be on the right place and on right time. █
█ Nevertheless, this album and A YOUNG MANÆS FUNERAL █
█ project itself is a great choice for those who █
█ miss old school canonical funeral doom with all █
█ its rawness and precious and charming solitude. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Curse 16:11 ░
░ 2. Remorse 16:32 ░
░ 3. Salvation 9:45 ░
░ 42:28 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
■ █▄ ░ ██
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