Review by Ben for Colosseum - Chapter 3: Parasomnia (2011)

Funeral doom metal is not for everyone. I can fully appreciate that some metal fans would find it boring and monotonous. It's actually difficult to describe why I love it so much, but ever since I first heard Esoteric, Skepticism and Shape of Despair back in 2001, I've found it to be the metal subgenre that I connect with the most consistently. That said, even I have to give many funeral doom albums a few listens before they wrap their tendrils around me and drag me into their heavenly depths. Colosseum's third and final release, Chapter 3: Parasomnia, is a prime example of an album that needs to sit for a while before it can be fully appreciated. What first seems to be an overly long and simplistic album has many subtleties that only work their magic with time, at which point you find yourself wondering why you didn't appreciate them the first time. In particular, the band utilises synths and strings in a very unobtrusive way and it's possibly more effective for it, as the doomy metal aspects remain front and centre throughout. Anyone that enjoys the beautifully crushing sound of fellow Finnish doomsters Shape of Despair will no doubt find euphoric pockets here, but Colosseum don't quite reach the emotional heights of their countrymen. As much as I hate to say it, given he committed suicide prior to the album's release, I do feel that frontman Juhani Palomäki's deep vocals are not quite as strong as I'd like them to be. Even still, this is pretty close to a 4.5 star album for me. It may even get there with a few more spins.