Just in time for Halloween, I have the perfect haunting album for you. Russia’s Abstract Spirit debut with Liquid Dimensions Change, one of the creepiest hours of funeral doom you will ever hear. The grouping is actually a combination of members of the Russian black metal group Twilight is Mine and the vocalist/drummer of another Russian funeral doom band, Comatose Vigil. I’ve never previously heard any material from Twilight is Mine but Comatose Vigil are an outstanding band and one of my favorites in the genre, so I expected good things from this album.

The keyboard heavy sound of Abstract Spirit is very reminiscent of Shape of Despair, purveyors of some of the eeriest doom ever put to record. That said, Shape of Despair would love to have a track like the opener, From Behind the Verge, in their catalog. A positively stunning and atmospheric 9 minutes, this is one of the finest examples of keyboard driven funeral doom you will ever hear. Stellarghost weaves chilling keyboard melodies that enhance the guitar and bass of Hater and give an overall vast, expansive sound. À.Ê.’s drums sound cacophonic and hollow, furthering the bottomless feel. His vocals are refreshing in that, where many low growls tend to lack any punch and sound whispery, here they are both extremely low and extremely powerful. Add all these together and you have quite a mesmerizing sound, and one that continues into the second standout track, To Kiss the Emptiness.... In this track a chanting spirit choir sound is introduced, once again very similar to Shape of Despair, and it adds another dimension of darkness. This tactic is also utilized well in Sarabanda, and these soft harmonious vocal sounds manage to help even two tracks as evil as these sound somehow beautiful. This high level of quality is not maintained throughout the album, though that is not to say the other tracks are poor. Ruined, for instance, has more of a guitar centered approach and, while the riffing is strong, it just does not have the supremely massive feel of the first two songs. The pace of funeral doom can lull you to sleep without the introduction of atmospherics or other wrinkles, and there were a few times on this album where I found this to be the case.

Russia’s Solitude Productions is building quite the roster of funeral doom bands, and Abstract Spirit have placed themselves at the forefront with Liquid Dimensions Change. Though it is positively haunting, the keyboards and choral effects give it an epic and soothing aura that many funeral doom bands lack, though it cannot avoid some of the pitfalls common to this genre. If it were not for releases by Esoteric and a forthcoming album by Monolithe, I would say this would be the funeral doom album of the year.