May 2021 Feature Release – The North Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The North has been nominated by Xephyr. It's the 2019 sophomore album from New York one-man black metal artist Funereal Presence entitled "Achatius".

https://metal.academy/releases/10212

I have posted a review for this, although I don't feel it really does it justice, but to summarise:

At first listen I wasn't exactly over-enamoured by this, as it seemed like it was wantonly disjointed and felt like an attempt at some kind of avant-garde black metal collage, but subsequent listens have allowed me to recognise that underneath it is quite a primal black metal record that hasn't actually strayed all that far from the genre's earliest roots. I've bought in to it's jagged, sharp-edged structure and the disconcerting effect it has on the listener, like a painting or picture that is viewed from a weird perspective. The result of all this is a real one-off of an album that I have heard very little to compare with (this of course may be a failing of my own and perhaps there are loads, but I don't think so). Yet another album that proves black metal is still a long way from having run it's course and can still turn out original releases of exceptional, thought-provoking quality.

This is a clever pick.  I had heard this previously but dismissed it at the time due to not giving it enough time in all honesty.  It is an album that needs time, both in terms of full attention during the playing thereof but also repeat spins to really understand it.  I am not reviewing it yet for his very reason as I need a few more spins to fully process this.  My initial thoughts are that this is BM played in Italian Prog length structures.  At first what seem like four lengthy and arduous tracks are actually quite succinct pieces of the story when you reflect on the listening experience.

Review to follow when I have had chance to process more.  That pesky Xeph making me think 

I didn't enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the rest of you seem to have. Here's my review:

Back when the Metal Academy website first went live a few years ago now, I had the opportunity to choose my clans of choice & honestly thought it would be a complete no-brainer. I’ve always been an extreme metal fan first & foremost so the option of allocating myself The Pit, The Horde, The Fallen & The North was an obvious one. But over time I began to realise that my preferences within The North weren’t as broad as they were for the other three clans & I opted to drop back to three clans. High quality black metal still clearly sat amongst the most elite genres for me however the scope of the black metal sound had expanded significantly since the 1990’s & I found that the modern scene included a whole plethora of different variations or sub-subgenres that often offered me very little appeal. Sometimes I’d even find it hard to understand the appeal in an artist that was generally well-regarded by the audience for your more conventional black metal & 2019’s sophomore album from US multi-instrumentalist Funereal Presence is a pretty good example of this.

“Achatius” is made up of four lengthy pieces that all exceed the ten minute mark with lone member Bestial Devotion (also the drummer for fellow US black metallers Negative Plane) producing a package that offers considerable structural variation & always keeps the listener on their toes through consistent changes-ups. The Funereal Presence sound is certainly built on the old-school mentality of classic black metal bands like Darkthrone & Bathory however there’s a greater level of complexity in the use of melody here, at times even bordering on the melodic black metal subgenre. It’s this use of melody that gives Funereal Presence their own unique sound as it often feels a little unusual or avant-garde, despite the fact that there’s nothing all that obscure happening when you examine things closely. The use of non-traditional instruments like church bells also contributes to this & is a noteworthy feature of the album as a whole.

The production job is clear & accessible without ever moving away from the lo-fi black metal aesthetic & I think it does the material justice. It’s interesting that the performances are often pretty dodgy though, particularly the drumming which sounds very much like poor Bestial is pushing himself a little further than his technical limitations should really allow for & the same can be said for some of the guitar work which struggles for timing (check out the clean section in “Wherein Seven Celestial Beasts Are Revealed To Him” for example – yuck!), a flaw that was perhaps accentuated by to the inconsistencies in the drumming. For this reason, I definitely think that “Achatius” had the potential to be more than what we’ve received. The inclusion of some more highly skilled & instrument-specific third parties could have taken this material to another level however you would usually have thought that a one-man band would be very tight given that its conforming to just the one overarching vision. That’s certainly not the case here & I find myself struggling a little bit as a result. Perhaps Bestial Devotion simply found it tough to get his tracks down tightly without the backing of other instrumentalists during the recording of each track? It’s certainly possible from my experience in the studio.

The other thing I struggle with is the more melodic material which I find to not only take me outside of my comfort zone further than I’m comfortable with but also to sound pretty sickly at times. Bestial Devotion’s decision to utilize cow bell at various points across the tracklisting was never a good idea either. I’ve always been a strong detractor of that particular rhythmic instrument’s metal credentials & would actually go so far as to suggest that it should be banned altogether. It probably won’t come as any sort of surprise that the more extreme sections of the album clearly offer me the most appeal though with second track “Wherein A Messenger Of The Devil Appears” being my clear highlight. The other three tracks simply fall short of the mark for me, particularly the two tracks that close out the album which were a clear step down from the A-side.

I don’t think too many black metal fans will have trouble with the vocals which sit comfortably within the safe confines of the genre however they’re also not particularly engaging & don’t really serve as the focal point at any stage in my opinion. If you’re going to buy into “Achatius” then it’s likely for the melodic complexity in the guitar work rather than the extreme nature of the vocals though. The occasional rough-shod yet psychotic Quorthon-esque guitar solo is a nice touch which probably could have been explored a little further although Bestial Devotion’s limited capabilities in this area are probably a large part of the reason for this & that kinda sums up my issues with the album to be honest. I don’t mind a black metal album that’s low on technical skill but caters for it with pure darkness & evil. “Achatius” aims significantly higher than that though & doesn’t stick within its technical limitations which leads to this ol’ metal musician sporting a fair few cringes throughout the 49 minute run time. There’s enjoyment to be had when Funeral Presence keep it simpler & more aggressive but I struggle with his more ambitious moments & this has led to an underwhelming overall impression of the album.

For fans of Negative Plane, Cultes des Ghoules & Darkthrone.

3/5

I've noticed a number of reviews refer to the use of cowbell on this album and my hearing is not the best, but aren't the bells heard here predominantly tubular bells? I may be wrong, but that's what they sound like to me.

We're not referring to the same thing Sonny. You may well be right about the use of tubular bells but a cowbell is a percussive part of a drum kit rather than a melodic instrument & is definitely being used here. Check out Bestial Devotion's use of cow bell to count himself back in at around 3:00 in "Wherein a Messenger of the Devil Appears". That's an example of what I was referring to.

Cowbell's most noteworthy metal moment came in Black Sabbath's "Megalomania" (see around the 3:20 mark).

Ah, I get it now! To be honest I sometimes miss details like that if I'm not realy concentrating due to my annoying tinnitus - not just metal music caused, I used to work in a metal rolling mill back in the eighties when health and safety wasn't quite as robust as it is nowadays and so I'm stuck with a continuous hissing in the ears that can block out more subtle sounds. Perhaps one reason I like extreme metal music as it drowns all that shit out!

Ah, I get it now! To be honest I sometimes miss details like that if I'm not realy concentrating due to my annoying tinnitus - not just metal music caused, I used to work in a metal rolling mill back in the eighties when health and safety wasn't quite as robust as it is nowadays and so I'm stuck with a continuous hissing in the ears that can block out more subtle sounds. Perhaps one reason I like extreme metal music as it drowns all that shit out!

I have tinnitus too - entirely my on doing with earphones/headphones as a young fella with no concept of the damage volume would do later in life.  Not helped by a bad ear infection ten years or so back that burst my eardrum in my right ear.  There's bits to records that I miss too or bits I interpret differently as a result.  Getting old sucks.  I want a refund on life!

*Raises his hand also*

I've actually had permanent ringing in my ears for more than twenty years now. When you play in a brutal death metal band, you really can't afford to rehearse without earplugs every week & I was young & dumb. Blast beats are really REALLY fucking loud when you're standing next to the drummer trying in vain for your guitar solos to be heard over them. DJing in underground techno clubs for most of the 2000's certainly didn't help my cause either, despite the fact that I was much more careful by that stage. I have a noticeable loss of high-end in my right ear but still feel that my hearing is reasonably good all things considered. I'm comfortable in the knowledge that one day my body will tell me that I need to give this metal things away once & for all but I'm gonna keep indulging myself until that time comes.

I've already told you my hearing status in an earlier thread, but it bears repeating (and self-copying):

It is sad when your hearing is damaged and can't fully function anymore, but my hearing is actually still very good. Since my days of youth, not to brag but I'm pretty smart at figuring out the proper volume when listening to metal. I still can't stand things that are much louder than my computer at full maximum blast, like thunder which I'm still a bit scared of (don't laugh). Wearing earplugs when there's thunder and cleaning them every couple weeks is what prevents my ears from being deafened or infected. I'm really protective of my hearing and make sure they never get damaged because even though it's possible to listen to metal with damaged hearing, I fear that I might go deaf and never be able to enjoy metal again. Whenever I go out during the virus, not only do I wear a face mask but also big industrial earphones because I think ears are important to protect from the virus too.* Lol! Anyway, I've also had happy moments when listening to metal as an underage teenager, but those were my earlier epic melodic metal days and they're now long gone, though you guys helped me bring a bit of power metal back to my life. My current routine for my home days is filled with metal and a bit of writing. All of my metal is in my computer and a spare hard drive in case it breaks. My computer time is limited but sometimes I go a little overboard. I can't pay full attention when absorbing albums except in special occasions and when I have to, like when I'm writing reviews, so I just take what I think are the greatest hits from each album and just somehow be able to absorb them while playing Minecraft.

*(Hey people, ears are part of your face, they need protection too, if you don't want them to be infected! And while you're at it, please start calling the virus COVID-20, don't let the first year that did nothing take all the blame!!)

I included the unrelated Minecraft part as a reminder of a small Minecraft-related post I plan on doing soon. You may guess if you'd like, but what I write is what you'll get...

"I'm comfortable in the knowledge that one day my body will tell me that I need to give this metal things away once & for all but I'm gonna keep indulging myself until that time comes."

Hey Daniel, I'm almost 60 now and metal is still a huge part of my life, so there's probably no need to give it up at any stage. It's like anything else in today's self-obsessed world, people think if they wrap themselves up in cotton wool then they'll live forever (**Spoiler Alert** they won't). Drink, drugs, motorcycles and metal were once the whole world to me (metal being the only one I still indulge in), all of which exact a price - and I wouldn't change any of it. Live fast.. etc!!

I've already told you my hearing status in an earlier thread, but it bears repeating (and self-copying):

It is sad when your hearing is damaged and can't fully function anymore, but my hearing is actually still very good. Since my days of youth, not to brag but I'm pretty smart at figuring out the proper volume when listening to metal. I still can't stand things that are much louder than my computer at full maximum blast, like thunder which I'm still a bit scared of (don't laugh). Wearing earplugs when there's thunder and cleaning them every couple weeks is what prevents my ears from being deafened or infected. I'm really protective of my hearing and make sure they never get damaged because even though it's possible to listen to metal with damaged hearing, I fear that I might go deaf and never be able to enjoy metal again. Whenever I go out during the virus, not only do I wear a face mask but also big industrial earphones because I think ears are important to protect from the virus too.* Lol! Anyway, I've also had happy moments when listening to metal as an underage teenager, but those were my earlier epic melodic metal days and they're now long gone, though you guys helped me bring a bit of power metal back to my life. My current routine for my home days is filled with metal and a bit of writing. All of my metal is in my computer and a spare hard drive in case it breaks. My computer time is limited but sometimes I go a little overboard. I can't pay full attention when absorbing albums except in special occasions and when I have to, like when I'm writing reviews, so I just take what I think are the greatest hits from each album and just somehow be able to absorb them while playing Minecraft.

*(Hey people, ears are part of your face, they need protection too, if you don't want them to be infected! And while you're at it, please start calling the virus COVID-20, don't let the first year that did nothing take all the blame!!)

I included the unrelated Minecraft part as a reminder of a small Minecraft-related post I plan on doing soon. You may guess if you'd like, but what I write is what you'll get...

Just out of interest Andi, have you been a regular metal show attendee over the years?

If you'd like to catch up to us old codgers in the deafness stakes then I'd encourage you to attend a single Sunn O))) show without wearing ear plugs. You'll be lucky if you ever hear again.

Drink, drugs, motorcycles and metal were once the whole world to me (metal being the only one I still indulge in), all of which exact a price - and I wouldn't change any of it. Live fast.. etc!!

I have a similar background only I indulged in women instead of motorcycles. Completely agree that I wouldn't change a thing.

Going back to this topic, I'm glad to be in a metal community website (Metal Academy of course) where everyone respects each other's metal lifestyle preferences, unlike in this Pearls Before Swine comic parody (might offend those who are fully deaf):

After Achatius had a near year-long run for me in 2019 since it came out in mid-February, going back to it leaves me feeling the same way as I did back then. I really enjoy this album just because of how unique it is in a variety of different ways, from the incredibly extended songwriting, the chaotic and somewhat messy performances, and its modern take on a more lo-fi Black Metal production. I still haven't come across anything that has the same sort of energy that Achatius brings to the table, so it remains near the top of my highly regarded Black Metal albums. 

I figured that there would be some discourse here and there because this album absolutely isn't for everyone, as I can see where Daniel is coming from given how messy the album can sound in places. There's so many different guitar harmonies and dueling melodies that if you listen very closely there are some obvious blemishes, but I don't think that errors in the performance ever affected me that much just because this release has always sort of embraced the chaos for me. You never really know what's coming next, there aren't many "main riffs" to speak of, almost no choruses, so the fact that Funereal Presence was able to create a gripping concept album out of all these different elements will always be impressive to me. The messiness and the slight production issues become a feature rather than a fault, at least to me in the end. 

The only interesting take I found in this discussion was Daniel's claim in "failing to understand modern conventional Black Metal" because I definitely wouldn't consider Achatius to be that. I chose this album knowing that someone was bound to fall on the negative side of the argument given how expansive and somewhat weird it can be, so I don't think that's any fault of your own. I'd consider "traditional modern Black Metal" to be something like Mgla, which garners incredibly good reviews and scores from most of the community, and Achatius is worlds away from any Mgla release in my opinion.