Day: December 9, 2015

A good split album from the ever-active Eastern European scene, featuring two minor, but by no means negligible, funeral doom acts Поезд Родина and Funeral Tears. The first band (whose transliteration in our alphabet becomes Poezd Rodina) is a duo formed by the Russian Andrey T., who plays all the instruments, and the Ukrainian Eugene, who lends his bitter screaming; in the case of Поезд Родина, to speak of funeral doom is perhaps a bit of a stretch, given that their sound contains many elements that lead directly back to the most ill and melancholic depressive. This can also be said in part for Russian Nikolay Seredov’s one-man band Funeral Tears, which, although it moves in more properly doom territory, still retains those desperate traits typical of DSBM. Having said this, for the sake of accuracy and so as not to create any misunderstandings in those who are about to listen, Frozen Tranquillity proves to be an inspired work, capable of exhibiting a sorrowful mood, often in an excruciating manner and always with a certain continuity; averagely longer, the tracks of Поезд Родина are more atmospheric and have a more dramatic impact, while those of Funeral Tears frequently exploit the contribution of the lead guitar to push the melancholic side of the genre, with Seredov’s vocal performance being preferable to that of his opposite number. All in all, the best tracks from each band are perhaps the first ones on the setlist, Ледяная Голгофа and Разливая по венам усталость, but while no memorable peaks are reached, the average level is always maintained at a rather good standard, making both names rightfully among those to keep a close eye on for a forthcoming full length.

2015 – Symbol of Domination Prod.