ALBUM REVIEW: Praesentialis In Aeternum – Funeral

Since forming in 1991, Norway’s funeral doom godfathers FUNERAL have been through a real gauntlet: from line-up changes as a result of progression and tragedy, and label changes due to issues beyond their control, to personal development putting the band on hiatus and everything the world has thrown at humanity of late, it’s been a tumultuous and tough 30 years. But with renewed vigour and new creative minds attached to the band, Praesentialis In Aeternum marks their next chapter.

Starting out in grand, orchestral fashion, the opening of Ånd feels like the soundtrack to the production credits at the start of a movie before it cascades into chugging doom riffs and near-operatic vocals. There’s a real sense of mystery about the music of FUNERAL, and you’re never too sure where it’s going to go. Djent-tinged chords, groove metal passages and the whole spectrum of metal vocals come rushing at the listener throughout the opening track, often to dazzling effect.

Erindring I – Hovmod and Erindring II – Fall are a fantastic one-two combo, starting as a brooding doom number, not scared to give space to Sindre Nedland’s exquisite vocals and even introducing passages of silence that work spectacularly. Throughout the former, the sound swells and builds to a cataclysmic finish via orchestral instrumentation battling with soaring guitar solos; it’s a textured thrill ride that will give listeners something new to pick up on each time they revisit the record. The latter then starts understatedly, with another cinematic overture, before unfolding into an almost jazz or math-inspired piece packed to the brim with changes in tempo, instrumentation and even genre.

The main issue with all of these twists and turns, and the shopping list of influences and inspirations, is that they occasionally feel cobbled together and incoherent with one another. You have to give FUNERAL marks for producing such high-quality content, but in the context of the songs themselves, they don’t always gel as well as you might hope, particularly on Materie, which seems to have run through a checklist of metal characteristics and just made sure to include as many as possible. Registering a hefty runtime of 87 minutes, Praesentialis In Aeternum feels even longer than this, because it feels as if there are 25 songs on the record.

The sequencing of this album also throws up some question marks: ostensibly comprising 10 songs, Praesentialis In Aeternum is hiding a convoluted tracklist when looked at closer. The first six tracks are business as expected, but track seven Her Til Evig Tid is an epilogue to the opening song, followed by the Prologue to tracks three and four, and then rounding off with two more standalone songs, one of which is a cover of CANDLEMASS’ Samarithan. Billed as a six-song record with four bonus tracks, it’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but one can’t help but wonder why the band chose to mix the tracklist like this.

All in all, Praesentialis In Aeternum is something of a head-scratcher. When this record works, it absolutely soars, but those moments are punctuated by often-frustrating changes that completely remove the listener from the experience. And at almost an hour and a half, it’s a considerable time sink for something that leaves no clear overall impression. Another chapter in the storied existence of FUNERAL.

Rating: 7/10

Praesentialis In Aeternum is set for release on December 10th via Season Of Mist.

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