Published: February 9, 2019 

The bastard child of metal, funeral doom is the sub-genre we don’t talk about enough. It sits there sullen and threatening. We glance over and wonder why we even bother with such a depressing and unhappy thing. That is until we listen and we remember that it can bring such joy the moment we hear what it can bring to the party.

As big fans of Chiral (read our review of Gazing Light Eternity here), there is excitement to hear what the artist behind that project has in store for us with II Vuoto. Vastness is five tracks long and begins with sombre melody in the title track. It haunts and deals out sorrow before taking on a truly evil form of vibrating heaviness and horror-fuelled vocals. The sound of an organ layered over the doom ensuring the impact is felt. Across nearly 15 minutes of music it follows a formula of slow and methodical melody, whispered vocals and fiery black metal hate.

How do you follow that? With an even more vile sounding atmospheric melody in Weakness. Soft guitar plucking and strumming alongside croaking vocals, this goes on for nearly 14 minutes.

It’s no surprise that the man behind Chiral knows how to lift and inspire as Her Fragile Limbs is simply astounding. The best track on the album, the melody and atmosphere it provides is one of the most uplifting things heard this year so far. This track alone is 10/10.

That excellence bleeds into the haunting and mournful V (The Fifth Nail) although we do have a heavier focus on deep and booming doom here. The fuzz of the guitars like the buzzing of flies over a carcass and the vocals demonic in delivery. We get 18 minutes of this. Think it’s too much? It’s not enough.

There is no denying that the latter part of the album is far stronger then the former and it is with much sadness that it must end. All good things must and Vastness closes out with a short (only about 4 minutes) depressing number in As the Whole World Failed. The cherry on top of a staggeringly good listen.

Don’t think funeral doom is for you? This is an album that might change your mind.