I’ve been following this band since they released the download single of ‘Silent Night’ last Christmas and have patiently awaited each subsequent download hoping the next one would bring the announcement of a full album. And here it is; six bludgeoning hammers of epic-funeral doom from the three man collective comprising members of Uncertainty Principle, Torture Wheel, and Until Death Overtakes Me. I’ve followed the individual member’s projects for years, and I have to say that their coming together has been a stroke of genius.
The music has the characteristic heavier than heavy tuning, growled vocals, and long hanging chords that one comes to expect from funeral doom, but the industrial and psychedelic elements they throw in make it a lot more distinctive. They still sometimes border on the twenty-minute mark in length - but when you’re getting lost in what sounds like the soundtrack to the earth rotting and crumbling before your eyes, it’s easy to wonder where the time has gone.
The opening track ‘Exocation of the Void-Self’ gets off to a sanity-shattering start, the effect of which is similar to being locked in a coffin and dangled before the gaping hell-mouth - the atmosphere is oppressive with the drone of the guitars and vocals as symbols crash with authority and ambient keyboards slither through them. ‘Repulsugloid (Part 1)’ speeds the drums up over the sweeping and phasing guitars while the vocals come at you from out of the layers between - a short, sweet, and dare I say accessible track for those who can’t take fifteen-minutes at a time. ‘Divine Skin’ is still and accessible length at seven minutes long, and it is possibly somewhat more traditional in its use of barely audible vocals and big chords for a more cinematic feel. ‘Repulsugloid (Part 2)’ may start slower than its other half but it clocks in at the shortest track length - it continues on from its predecessor nicely and works as a final rest bite before the endurance feat to come. ‘Feed The Whore’ is absolutely crushing - the war-like toms and repetitive guitars hit you in the gut as the monstrous vocals rip their way through the speakers - the end result is a feeling of absolute despair. The bonus track is the completely brilliant ‘Silent Night’ - slowed down, tuned down, and turned up it is a one way ticket to hell… but what a ride.
This is perhaps one of the most original and chilling funeral doom albums I’ve heard in a long time. The elements of experimentation and brutality come together with the skill and expertise of the three veteran members of the collective. And the result is honestly brilliant. If you don’t like funeral doom then stay well clear of this because this is for us who like it slow, heavy and uncompromisingly epic.
http://www.myspace.com/thenulllcollective
