The collective has brought a mixture of putrid death metal, Demilich-inspired growls, and obscure riffs that are almost cavernous in their slowness, with atmospheric doom sections that blend traditional American Death Metal with influences from the Scandinavian Death Metal scenes of the early 1990’s.

From the opening moments of the keyboard-laden intro “The Arrival”, the band crafts something otherworldly, conjuring a spooky aura; the remarkable draw of creeping subterranean arrangements is clearly emphasized on the following track “Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence”. The menace of the music shines through obscured death metal riffing and murky atmosphere, accompanied by fiendish growls, exudes an eerie experience; however, the riffs wrap you in eternal darkness. The drums pound at a massive pace, and the double bass erupts from ghastly catacombs, and the monstrous roars endlessly scare the listener, and only then does the creepiness haunt your soul. Often, Funebrarum shifts the tone to downbeat; the dreary keyboards flow well in the track “ša nagba amāru”.

Funebrarum borders on old school death-doom metal, and the shift in pace gives the drums plenty of room to wreak havoc with fierce blasting. The song arrangements really emphasize the fast-paced tempos, giving the drums an exemplary role to magnify the deep, cavernous growls. The guitars churn out thick reverb to deliver the chills; every hunting riff and deep chugging is murky and dark. A Charnel stench-filled air fills the track “Through the Barren Halls of Grieving Emptiness”, the drums focusing on bludgeoning double bass and blast beats with tremolo riffs fully executed, with Phil Tougas soloing, adding eeriness to this filthy track. The slow tempos make “Anhela Odor Mortoruom (The Adepts)” discernible, especially when the guitars and synth imbue the song with a morbid effect, adding a menacing-sounding synth passage. The vocal performance on the album, which ranges from deep guttural bellows cavernous growls and profane rasps, is one of the highlights.

Some songs begin with mid-paced riffing and evolve into rapid blasting without overusing the same formula. The riffs and drumming of C.Koryn are the real backbone of the music, and at times, the riffing changes into death-doom metal. The rhythm guitar churns in low-tone reverb, while the drums unfold into a seismic double bass, providing a massive layer to the hideous growls. The use of keyboards in some of the songs reminds me of the early Finnish death metal bands such as Demigod, Depravity, and Purtenance; Funebrarum has a knack for transporting you back to the classic era of European death metal.

Midway through the album, Funebrarum raises the intensity with slow, monolithic riffs, and the drums begin to unleash ferocity. The caveman aesthetics enhance that deep musical landscape where, at times, the drums focus on brutality with putrid rhythms, and pounding bass lines; there are similarities to the style of Disma’s debut album. The grim atmosphere is omnipresent, and drumming will crush your skull with slow atmospheric sections, then pummel you with primitive caveman riffing, and sludge qualities accentuating the massive tone of each riff.

“From Rotting Burial Shrouds” settles in the up-tempo; the drumming work of Charlie Koryn is profound; he provides excellent fills, stomping out fucking brutal tempos. The atmospheric work of guitars also adds a unique texture to this track. Despite the uncanny sense of evil, I ought to say that the third studio album focuses on a cavernous atmosphere that surely reminds me of Disma’s “Towards the Megalith” debut album.

The superb songwriting, the addition of Canadian guitarist Phil Tougas, and the use of keyboards in the songs are remarkable; the music carries a mystifying, spooky experience, leaving an uncanny ghastliness upon the listener’s mind. The buzz-sawing riffs on “Turning the Stones of Torment” capture the cold, primitive sound. The impressive musicianship showcases relentless heaviness, blast beats, and crushing tempos. The final nail to the coffin, “The Whispering Cathedral- Epilogue”.

Proves why the New Jersey death metal bands are adept at their obscene brand of morbid death metal. Funebrarum has truly outdone themselves on their newest offering; they have unexpectedly combined the right elements of death doom, eerie sepulchral atmosphere, and primitive brutality.

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