Seven years after their last full-length Dýrtangle return Ego Depths, the funeral doom project of Stigmatheist, a Canadian musician who, during this time, has been noted above all for a number of collaborations in the name of sound experimentation in the company of a particularly entity such Volok (Волок), coming from Ukraine, his originary homeland. With Elläkkairavertta, Stigmatheist (Volodymyr Kryuchkov) returns to a form of funeral that, while was never being entirely orthodox, in this case amplifies the ritual characteristics deriving from the use of various traditional instruments, normally used in musical circles connected to Buddhist spirituality. In this sense, the juxtaposition with realities such as Abysskvlt becomes natural, even if in Ego Depths there is less space for atmospheric openings and a greater drone propensity is instead perceptible. That being said, Elläkkairavertta is a magnificent full length (the fifth one) by a musician who, despite his fifteen years of activity, has perhaps never before reached such levels of depth. It should be specified that in the course of this abundant hour the sub-genre is offered in its less consolatory and atmospheric guise, but beyond an initial impact, the four long tracks satisfy both those who seek unusual sounds and those who yearn for slowed rhythms and sequences of mournful notes. The almost twenty minutes of the opener Anatta are difficult to describe in an exhaustive manner, such are the nuances and inputs that Stigmatheist disseminates throughout the track; with all the variables of the case, the same applies to the subsequent Mahakala and Bya Gtor, while it is the intransigence of the drone that characterises the final Chod. A great comeback for this protagonist of the funeral doom scene, thanks to an album that possesses all the qualities to finally gain the attention that Stigmatheist would have deserved with its previous releases.

2022 – Dusktone