Funebrarum – Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods

Though this was recorded as the ‘Tombs of Sleeping Darkness’ demo in late 2000 and released as ‘Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods’ by Necroharmonic the following year, Funebrarum’s sole imprint on the DM world is essentially timeless. It’s almost like the last 15 years are a mere figment. As an ode to early ‘nineties brutal Death Metal, ‘…Columns…’ is no more and no less than what it purports to be.

Before the genre splintered and cross-pollinated into a confusing, unpalatable mire, Death Metal was devastating in its simplicity. You either liked it or you didn’t. If you don’t recall days when the mere glimpse of artwork from a new Autopsy, Incantation, Carnage or Banished CD was enough to make your weak at the neck, then Funebrarum is not for you. While they don’t necessarily sound exactly like any of the above, they certainly have that feel.

Exceptional six-stringer Nick Orlando (Evoken) effortlessly delivers the evil juice and the drawn-out growls/gurgles of Daryl Kahan (Abazagorath) capture that long-lost mood perfectly. The pace is sometimes slow and plodding, but this fuzzy offering will make you want to mosh like a 16-year-old when it takes off (as on the latter stages of ‘Adoration of Abscessed Cadavers’). Save for a haunting (and brief) atmospheric intro to the intensely violent and vaguely ambient ‘Dormant Hallucinations’, Funebrarum don’t bother with pussification.

These anthems belong to a time when men were men, not trolls, and Death Metal held the copyright to lo-fi, small budget production. If you like your death served medium rare, using a traditional recipe and containing no trimmings, you should probably investigate ‘Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods’.