There are certain genres that, as the majority of bands go, there’s not a whole lot to experiment with. Funeral Doom for example may, at first glance, appear to be one of those genres. You play real heavy, you play real slow, you sound depressing as hell and viola! But for any genre within the metal realm,the paint-by-numbers ethos need only apply to bands that are just going through the motions (or truly don’t know what the hell they are doing). If there are any bands out there who break the mold of what a Funeral Doom band should or could sound like you’d have to start the conversation with Portland, Oregon’s Ephemeros.
Don’t get me wrong. These guys do play it really heavy, most of the time really slow and all of the time depressing as hell. They are firmly rooted in the Funeral Doom genre and one listen to their new album, All Hail Corrosion, would not convince you otherwise. Besides the fact that three songs dragged and stretched over 40+ minutes should tell you what you are getting into, just how heavy, slow and depressing are we talking here? Let’s just say that if Ephemeros were actually used as the soundtrack to a funeral there would be mass suicide in the aisles from the oppressive amount of despair and desperation felt by the parishioners. Some music, no matter the genre, just makes you want to roll over and never draw the blinds, sleeping endlessly in a world of darkness. All Hail Corrosion will put the switchblade in your hand for you as well.
To say this album is almost tyrannical in it’s ability to crush all that stands before it in the name of beauty would not be an understatement. The vocals languish in death growls while also alternating anguished screams with droning, ritualistic chants. The heaviness of the music is often times punctured by interludes of an almost ceremonial nature. In fact the entire album gives off the vibe of some type of ancient rite where antediluvian spirits are beckoned to hasten our demise. It’s a an altogether nasty and delicious mix that’s not unlike a Skepticism meets Neurosis meets Blood of the Black Owl cocktail.
All Hail Corrosion will hit the street on August 20 via Seventh Rule Recordings. To tide you over you can hear samples of each track over on the Ephemeros Facebook page.
