A style that has truly had my attention but I haven’t gotten around to really diving into is the unforgiving, dark world of funeral doom. It’s such an uncompromising style that leaves no room for a breath of salvation whether it be in the form of ridiculously long and heavy as fuck songs to pieces of atmosphere that are nigh on hypnotizing. My wait for the next piece of funeral doom to tickle my fancy has been quite the long one, but Ennui has brought to the table something I couldn’t ask for more from.
The last band of funeral doom that caught my eye was the fresh act known as Towards Atlantis Lights with Bell Witch being the only band of the style before them that I’ve really listened to and then thoroughly enjoyed, so my experience in the genre has been tantamount to fuck all. But, the heaviness and long-winded nature of funeral doom has always intrigued me so my slow and steady approach to it has been rewarding me thus far with Ennui’s upcoming piece, “End of the Circle”, something that I didn’t see coming and simply can’t get enough of now. Ennui easily checks off the tropes of the style with planet crushing heaviness, terrific pacing that always keeps things interesting and gripping, and the whole of this record contains three tracks across a staggering 72 minutes. “End of the Circle” still then continues to up the ante with smashing riffs, amazingly guttural vocals, and a grand, cinematic even, feel to the entirety of the album that makes it such an enticing treat for anyone willing to overcome the challenge that are the songs that stretch over twenty minutes, and like many challenges in music, it’s incredibly satisfying to conquer. And that’s something that can encapsulate the ridiculously detailed cathedral ceiling painting epic that is “End of the Circle” as Ennui truly know how to execute such unrelenting force with one masterful note after another.
It feels many times that so many bands lose themselves in trying to be too interesting or too heavy to the point that they forget to make everything flow, actually sound good, and make the listener want to come back for more instead of making us feel like we just sat through a lecture. Ennui brings excellence to the table in untouchable quality, different elements in each track to keep everything astounding, and a high level of quality that can only be applauded. In every form, “End of the Circle” is a force to be reckoned with and the only proof I need that Ennui should be hailed as one of the acts to keep an eye out for all of funeral doom.
“End of the Circle” releases on September 5th via Non Serviam Records!
PRE-ORDER “End of the Circle” on Bandcamp here.
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