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📸 – Anja Bergman
Dark ambient doom duo Fvnerals are set to release their third album “Let the Earth Be Silent” on Friday, February 3rd 2023 via Prophecy Productions.
At just over 39 minutes, and in blending elements like doom, ambient and post-rock, “Let The Earth Be Silent” washes over you with sounds of agony, pain and despair, yet has an ironic beauty to it.
The band says of their latest effort “The album is a pessimist reflection on the human condition, it explores feelings of isolation, depression and misanthropy. It is inspired by philosophical themes such as pessimism, existentialism and nihilism. The lyrics contemplate the horror and despair of existence, while longing for humanity’s impending extinction. In order to translate our feelings and thoughts into music, the band’s sound has continued to evolve from previous albums towards heavier and ominous sonorities, enriched by a more experimental vocal approach and the intricate layering of melodies and instrumentation.”
Opening with “Ashen Era”, a very slow dirge with eerie synth pads droning all throughout. While very much filled with despair, the vocals are surprisingly and hauntingly beautiful. Scattered throughout the track are drums and some really slow power-chord riffs.
Heading deeper into the depths of isolation and despair, “Descent” and “For Horror Eats the Light” are two really chilling tracks that offer a glimpse into putting sounds to how deep depression can really go.
Isolation and depression can absolutely annihilate your self-esteem and your mental health and the track “Annihilation” gives a haunting glimpse into just that. With distant, echoed speaking vocals, the middle of this track is where the intensity really picks up, all the while maintaining that doom, dirge-like tempo.
At less than two minutes long, “Rite” sees an atmosphere created by percussion, synth and a droning that feels as though the ship that’s dragging you through foggy, unknown worlds is dragging you even deeper into the nothingness, while “Yearning” drives into the more post-rock feel with a LITTLE bit more of an up-tempo feel, with a quarter-note kick pattern and dissonant droning heard throughout. This track peaks a little more than halfway through, almost as though they are ‘yearning’ for the end that’s in sight.
Closing out this album is “Barren”, an eerie, drudging post-apocalyptic soundscape that leaves you envisioning the destruction that we are rapidly drawing ourselves as a human race further and further into.
One thing is clear – Fvnerals has used this latest release to delve deeper and darker into the human condition than ever before. The arrangements, instrumentation and vocals are, while dark and gloomy, surprisingly hauntingly beautiful! My only, semi-complaint about the album is the vocals seem to be very drowned out and are incredibly difficult to understand. Was this intentional? Perhaps. It would certainly add to the muddled inner-voice that we all hear when we are at our lowest.
Verdict: 3.75/5
Be sure to give “Let The Earth Be Silent” a listen! It releases Friday, February 3rd via Prophecy Productions and will be available on all streaming platforms. You can still pre-order here!
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