A Young Man’s Funeral is one of the many projects coming out of Russia in the doom sphere, probably not all of them inescapable but, very often, of definite interest. If, indeed, the quantity of releases can partly inflate the market, it must also be said that the presence of such a lively and productive scene is only a positive aspect for the whole movement gravitating around the genre. Two sides of the same coin are also those related to the interaction between different band members and the consequent proliferation of parallel projects: this is to be welcomed, as it allows various musicians to explore different facets of the genre but, on the other hand, it risks making local scenes rather self-referential. One of the most active figures in the Moscow scene is definitely Evander Sinque, whom we have already seen at work with Who Dies In Siberian Slush, his main band, in the experimental Decay Of Reality and Forbidden Shape and, as guest vocalist, in the magnificent Lorelei record, as well as self-promoting many other realities with his label MFL Records. Once again the indefatigable E.S. lends his excellent growl to this death doom project of the drummer of the aforementioned Who Dies In Siberian Slush, Alexey Slavin, who here takes care of all the instruments and songwriting, with sounds rather close to the parent band although, no doubt, with a greater melodic imprint. Thanatic Unlife is divided into three long tracks sufficiently imbued with dramatic atmospheres and evocative moments, characterized by the prevalent use of minimal piano in lieu of the usual and more enveloping keyboards, which are often preponderant in this stylistic sphere. If Curse appears as the most experimental track, suspended between noises and dry and essential riffs, and Remorse alternates the usual mournful scores with ambient-like passages, the concluding Salvation stands as the summa of the two previous tracks, showing a perfect amalgamation between all these souls and giving about ten minutes of high school death doom. Perhaps not essential, as said, but certainly an interesting release for a project with good potential; the grafting of E.S. on vocals constitutes an obvious added value to A.S.’s work, whose ability to produce sounds sufficiently engaging and, at times, not even too conventional, is pleasing.
2013 – Fono Ltd.
Mournful Sounds 