It is not uncommon for doom bands to strive for a depressive and bleak sound. However, few can match the sheer desperate atmosphere created by Norway’s Funeral. Indeed, it is not a coincidence that the genre’s most depressing style, funeral doom, shares its name with this band. Throughout over fifteen years of existence, Funeral has altered their repertoire a few times. While their debut EP, Tristesse, was more in the vein of true funeral doom, the follow up, Tragedies, utilized low female vocals, as did the next full length, In Fields of Pestilent Grief. The latter saw a further departure from their original sound, wherein they introduced a somewhat faster approach at times that has much in common with doomdeath. Unfortunately, activities in the band came to an abrupt halt in 2003 with the suicide of bassist and founding member Einar Frederikson.

Unfortunately, the tragedy didn’t stop there. In October 2006, just prior to the release of their latest album, From These Wounds, the band lost another founding member with the death of guitarist Christian Loos. As far as I know, the cause of his death has not been released to the public, though I have read speculation of another suicide. The sole remaining original member, drummer Anders Eek, chose to continue on with the release, stating that Loos loved the album and would have wanted the band to continue on. While it may not be their strongest album, From These Wounds is still a solid exercise in depressive atmosphere and a fitting tribute to Christian’s legacy.

The most noticeable change is in the vocals, which are handled by Frode Forsmo of Minas Tirith. His sound is primarily a deep clean vocal layered to sound almost chant like at times. Perhaps because of this, the band as a whole sounds decidedly more gothic to my ears. While I really enjoyed Forsmo’s vocals at first, and still do to an extent, I have come to have somewhat of a love/hate relationship with them after repeated listens. On the outstanding title track, his range from a delicate croon in the early going to a powerful chant on the chorus is a fantastic addition. The following song, Architecture of Loss, sees Forsmo become the focal point with a beautiful harmonized performance. The problem, for me, is that his vocals feel a bit repetitive and almost without feeling by the album’s close. Don’t get me wrong, repetition isn’t an aspect of music that usually puts me off. After all, appreciating repeated riffs and sounds goes with the territory if you like doom. Forsmo’s vocals just seem to blend together too much, to the point where noting standout points is a tall task, with the exception of the two mentioned.

The pace remains almost exclusively slow, but the album doesn’t really feel at all like funeral doom. The guitars are lush and chunky, and the intermittent orchestration and various samples make for a sound much more melodious than the one found in Funeral’s much earlier works. Don’t let the word “melodious” fool you too much, as the overall feeling is still very mournful. This is evidenced by, among other songs, Red Moon, which is driven by an expansive orchestral background and contains the most searing riff on From These Wounds around the five minute point. Continuing in this approach is the album’s standout track, Saturn. The melodies are lessened a bit giving way for a few instances of extremely heavy and pounding riffs, and Forsmo sings in about the lowest clean key possible. All this makes for the most sorrowful sounding and memorable song on the album.

No one outside the band knows exactly the extent to which Funeral will continue on after losing another centerpiece and founding member. Pressing on through these tragedies is a testament to the band’s endurance, and it is for this reason I have to believe we will hear from them again, hopefully sooner rather than later. While the vocal style never really clicked with me, From These Wounds is still a worthwhile listen for every doom fan, especially those who enjoyed their previous album.