Maranatha

Maranatha is a point of inflection in the history of Funeral Mist. It's the first record featuring an Arioch consolidated in the scene as the frontman of the iconic Swede black metal act Marduk, so this time the collaborations are more luxurious: Devo on recording duties and Lars B. on drums. Six years passed since the release of the first full length from the project but the production concept is pretty much the same: crude, bright and trebly black metal with samples and occasional artificial studio ambiences and effects. The lo-fi concept is better coined in this record than on the previous one, overall the tracks have a thicker body, more bass and overall it sounds more neat, despite having the same raw artistic direction. Arioch's songwriting also benefited from his stance in Marduk, riffing is more memorable and meaningful and has an epic edge that revolutionized the project's sound.

I couldn't help but notice the inclusion of a slow polka drum beat, that gives another dimension to build songs over that wasn't present on the band's previous records. The drummer change was an upgrade, I have nothing against Necromorbus -who showed a big evolution from the demo to the EP- but Lars B. is way more complete as a drummer and Devo also made a better work recording and mixing this album than he did on Salvation. I don't have an opinion yet about the band's most recent output (2018’s Hekatomb) but it feels like this is Arioch’s magnus opus, both lyrical and musically. This album features his unique tragic sense of melody and the traditional belligerent hyper fast, raging blast beat parts, and the addition of that interesting mid paced and slow polka beat sections that were generally resolved with linear double bass drum feels before, enhancing the composition possibilities and variety of textures. You could say this is the release that put Funeral Mist in the rich swede black metal neighborhood without making it over polished or fancy.

The drumming as I said before was upgraded, the classy cymbal work and complex tom fills take the band’s percussion department to a whole new level. The double bass and snare are relentless as always but more precise, almost mechanical but without killing the performer natural execution dynamics, it's brilliant. Bass guitar is seen as something more than a mere companion, it has a nice distortion and there are some arrangements were it stands out over the guitars, especially in calm arpeggio parts. It's levels are also well balanced. The guitar tone is acid, bright, raw and full of treble and a gain with lots of ground noise and equalized with almost no bass, the scales used in the riffs are not particularly harmonic but there are some passages like the end of Anti-flesh Nimbus where they use guitar lines that sound almost ecclesiastical. Arioch’s vocals are always in top form, bragging about his wide range of growls, shrieks and storytelling mysterious voices.

Arioch through his form of art by the name Funeral Mist has and will be one of the few genre defining bands that create and expand new ways of black metal perfection. One of the very first bands on this called "Orthodox black metal " ,or whatever you wanna call it, and in my opinion one of the better ones.

Now in this second full-length album, Funeral Mist have gone in my opinion in a more clear road as to what they want to be their message or philosophy, both musically and lyrically. This means that the production is clearer and the sound, especially the drums and vocals, is more comprehensible comparing to "Salvation". Furthermore the assertion of a more spiritual kind of satanic faith is, in my opinion, stated here. Wether via esoteric meanings or metaphors instead maybe from a "theologic wrath" of its predecessor. In stead the listener will get a feeling that the lyrics are accompanying the music and tthe feeeling.

One the most interesting, as expected, aspects of the album is the vocal parts which yet again prove Arioch's personal and easy to tell apart voice. Especially in "White Stone" and "Anti-flesh Nimbus" with the inhuman screams and ups and downs of the rhythm you get a swirling feeling that will maybe remind you of Marduk and Ondskapt. Something else that I really dig about this recording is the guitar tone which makes for a sound clear enough to understand what's going on and at the same time harsh and sharp at the edges.

The songs vary from the "typical" fast and hard hitting black metal song e.g. "Sword of Faith" to the sudden change in tempo for "White Stone" and it's ritualistic atmosphere and slow parts. Said ritualistic atmosphere is very closse to "Salvation" and with parts that vary in speed and rythm. And as every ritual it comes in crescendo and conclusion at the very last song, which has a bit of everything good the band has to offer, and is also on the best instrumentation of choir parts in a black metal song.

The listener enters a unique realm of authentic musical expression and above all you get the feeling that nothing happens without a purpose in this album, or as a way to provoke without meaning, with the end result being one of the best black metal albums in the last decade.

"Maranatha" saw its release in 2009 and received mixed reviews from both fans and press. Some people panned the CD, implying that the album by no means reaches the quality of the godly "Salvation", some people said, that "Salvation" is never ever to be topped to start with. While I do consider "Salvation" to be one of the best jewels to ever be produced in Sweden, "Maranatha" left a deep impact on me as well.

Starting with the glorious "Sword Of Faith" and finishing with the epic masterpiece "Anti-Flesh Nimbus", this album delivers nothing short of Magic. That magificient feeling of total religious madness, which the classics of the genre carry (Watain "Casus Luciferi", Antaeus "De Principii Evangelikum", Ondskapt "Dodens Evangelium", Ofermod "Mysterion Tes Anomias" et cetera), blossoms here to its full potential. I must say, I am a big fan of Arioch's vocal abilities. This man crossed the boudaries of your usual black metal vocalists and transcended into a category of visionaries, that are not bound by any genre or style. The unmistakable passion, that you hear in his voice; the fearsome growls and screams; you hear him LIVE through it, not sing the lyrics. The lyrics come alive at this man's lips. And those lyrics are not even your usual black metal lyrics to start with.

But, while the vocal and lyrical aspects are very important, it's not the only reason to love this album. The music is perhaps best described as a furious hurricane, that sometimes slows down, sometimes becomes a raging beast, sometimes appears to be over, only to once again manifest its malevolent being minutes later. And when it's over you are sure as hell to discover the whole damn town torn to pieces.

The change of drummer, feared by many, only reinforced the band, as the new drummer is just as good, if not better, than the original Necromorbus.

I heard a fair share of criticism concerning "White Stone", with people comparing the song to "nu metal" and Slipknot, but it couldn't be further from the truth. And the truth is, "White Stone" is perhaps the best song on this album, if there is indeed one. No blastbeat? No "cold northern" riffs? Well, if that's what you need from Black Metal, you're better off listening to immortal and the likes, as this is not for you in the first place.

"Anti-Flesh Nimbus" brings a perfect end to the album, with its slow and crushing pace, grandiose choruses, brilliant lyrics and malicious vocal performance. And, as a trademark of the Arioch's touch, the song ends with a borrowed classical orchestral piece, which works as a great outro for "Maranatha".

I could describe this album song by song, as each and every single one of them is a masterpiece on its own accord, but there really is no point to it. What you get with "Maranatha" is a pure hell in the audial form. The highest refinement!

Originally written for From the Pulpits of Abomination blog: http://from-the-pulpits.blogspot.com/

“Maranatha” caught my eye some time ago when I noticed internet message boards everywhere were filled with fanboys virtually jumping up and down like Twilight fans because Funeral Mist had returned and put out the best record ever OMG! Likewise, the scruffy-faced metal elitists – still hungry for blood and in need for a kill – pounced on “Maranatha” with abysmal hate, as one should expect from such meanieheads that listen to black metal. Now children, this glorious reviewer – with bland writing skills and an even-blander sense of humor-based evaluation at hand, mind you – shall finally cast the final call on whether or not this controversial album shall deserve such high praise or be thrown into an endless pit of insults. And to be honest, Funeral Mist deserves…both! Yea not exactly a climatic conclusion, but after divulging into the world of “Maranatha,” I can really go both ways on whatever was accomplished or validated within Arioch’s little masquerade deserves a sense of worth; there isn’t much to say ex post facto.

First Blessing: It has Daniel “Arioch” Rosten!

A debatable master of black metal, but there are some moments here that truly define greatness. Most importantly, Rosten’s project is his brainchild, and Funeral Mist’s course of travel charges toward brutal black metal and pulsing, atmospheric sonnets usually contributing to qualities you’d expect that are typically enjoyably in content. Rosten’s vocals are simply mesmerizing throughout as expected; haunting and abysmal, those grunts are devilish additions to this devilish release. Finally, I want to take some of these riffs and give them to charity; it would just be wrong to not share the gift that keeps on giving! A noticeable chunk of Rosten’s riffs are good: fun tremolo picking numbers, a couple nifty doom hammers, some frenzied yet interesting quasi-death metal riffs, yet few near perfect depictions of black metal riffing in its prime. Believe me, there’s nothing musically distinct or evolutionary about straightforward, scaling assaults like “Blessed Curse,” but once you hear the hyperborean riffs echoing through a damned beat and Rosten’s howls, you’ll realize he knows his black metal when it counts.

First Curse: It has Daniel “Arioch” Rosten…or should I say…Mortuus!

Oh yea, that’s right: he also grunts for Marduk. He couldn’t hide from me. Obviously he’s been with the blastobaters for a few years now, so the senseless riffing, doom filler, constant blasting, and erupting cacophony of Marduk’s manifestation unmistakably boils over into Funeral Mist’s territory, familiarizing the instrumental pattern into a demanding direction, and the influence is so obvious only a fool would ignore it. After experiencing an opus like “Sword of Faith” thunderous to such qualities, I questioned whether or not the album’s opener was a b-side for “Rom 5:12” instead of Funeral Mist’s own staple of individualism, because like a sizable number of cuts from “Maranatha,” a lot of this stuff sounds like the infantry hymn of the Panzer Division Mongoloid second battalion, awaiting orders to shell your face with so much stupid you’ll find metalcore a deep, philosophical art after sitting through Rosten’s noisecore cannon. Funeral Mist? More like Funeral Bitch.

Final Blessing: Funeral Mist strikes experimental gold.

Rosten’s endgame comes down to this: the wildcards within “Maranathra.” Its nature tame to its origin, yet “Maranathra” dabbles into some adventurous extremes through many atypical plains that were certainly unexpected from my foresight; however, I’ll be the first to state the benefits are adjustably lush. For example, “Blessed Curse” is focused around a recording of an evangelical preaching damnation and brimstone if one is to ignore Christ, and although the music is already stellar, the inclusion of something so bizarre and powerful truly makes it the album’s climax; it’s haunting, electrifying, charismatic, and divine. Furthermore, such additions even armor “A New Light” through the application of gothic choirs within Rosten’s rasping shrieks and his acceptable riffing game. Clearly, without the musical tampering, these cuts just wouldn’t stack up to passable standards if these ideas were ultimately ignored. Isn’t that what taking a risk is all about? I certainly think so.

Final Curse: When not striking experimental gold, Funeral Mist sounds fucking terrible regardless.

Yes, the obvious dagger-to-heart conclusion, now finally personified in stunning realism: “Maranatha,” when not cashing in on stellar choirs arrangements or other goofy goodness, becomes a self-parody of itself through a coin’s flip of luck whilst tampering with risk or its basic habitat. For example, the compulsive need to push the progressive envelope results in “White Stone,” which is essentially four minutes of doom filler, start-stop riffing, and Arioch moaning into a microphone. I’m dying from the excitement. Neither am I fond of the Soulflyish breakdown on the title track, nor the three minutes of clean guitars concluding “Jesus Saves” for really no reason, the obsessive sampling for intros, echoing vocals on “White Stone,” the brass instrumental section…very inaccurate indeed. Good ideas were thrown astray, bombastic thoughts idolized, and Funeral Mist fell into decay, in that painful order. God knows I love experimentation; it’s the only reason I really enjoy certain parts of “Maranatha,” yet there’s a lot of mental causalities due to such playfulness. Once again, neither point emerges victorious.

Final verdict: Uh…maybe later?

Overall, I can see eye-to-eye on both sides of the argument regarding Funeral Mist’s musical accomplishments or lack thereof throughout this effort, yet my experience has deemed this one on neutrality’s level above all else. “Maranatha” is a bipolar entity featuring moments gold could not buy and others that make dirt the foundation of wealth, so what else is there to do? I guess the fanboys ravishing over Arioch just because and the outspoken haters that want Arioch’s head on a plate just because are both right and wrong in their arguments. Funeral Mist shows strong potential and even displays it, yet just gets lost in bad knowledge and poor intuition. Some of the songs are fantastic, no doubt about it, but be sure to proceed with caution; duds like “Sword of Faith” or the title track lurk only for derailment. Best option: poke “Maranatha” with an analytical stick and make your own judgment.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

I want to begin to by saying that Maranatha is my first experience with any of Funeral Mist's material. I am neither coming from the camp of absolute FM praise nor am I some black metal purist who claims that this type of stuff is destroying black metal. This band certainly has merits, but on the same note I could see how FM's approach may seem a bit too artificial sounding. The entirety of the album evoked both feelings of "Hey! these guys are really onto something" and also that of "Have you no taste? Why would you waste song time on this!?". The album at times seems you to really build up your expectations but is often marred by what may seem as pointless experimentation.

For instance, the album does open with a truly disturbing sound clip, with the vocalist sounding absolutely demonic - with the use of some sort of voice effects (or does he have some incredible lows?), with some chanting going on in the background. This then leads into some incredibly fast paced black metal ALA Marduk or 1349. Then goes into some slow, almost doomy parts. All of this would seem very well, and make for a fitting listen, but then... The vocals! Honestly, at first they sound absolutely harsh (in a good way), but then it sounds like Arioch ran out of breath 8 seconds into screaming and decided he'll just half-ass it from there. This track I did forgive overall, as it was capable of throwing any metal head into frenzy (seriously I'd start a pit in a public library if this started playing). It seems that after that track the album seems to lose it's luster.

Track two is some slow almost funeral doom paced track, that while is an interesting break, just seems to be sloppily done. Seriously, half this track sounds like someone stoned out of his mind, attempting a metalcore style "breakdown". Again the vocals are a bit spotty, the Arioch seems to be moaning them out for the majority of the song, and even blows into the mic (maybe to add to the atmosphere?) halfway through the song. Arioch eseems to be taking cue from Attila's work in Grand Declaration of War throughout this song - as he even speaks a passage or two in this one.

The rest of this album seems to be a mix of the two aforementioned elements of speaker-decimating, absolutely speedy black metal and slow sludgy moments. These songs are littered with utterly random squeaks, grunts, squeals, shouts, and various sound clips. Some of the clips include: choir chants, evangelists ranting about damnation (more than likely as fodder for propaganda), and on occasion symphonic elements. These additions are welcome... Half the time. Other times, they seemingly add to already random collection of noises presented here.

While experimentation can often lead to interesting, competent, and ground-breaking material (Deathspell Omega's and Blut Aus Nord's latest comes to mind), it is used in rather gratuitous manner here. This album has a "collage" feel to it rather than being a coherent work of art. This album came off as inconsistent and maybe a little bit forced overall. I would at most suggest giving this one a precursory listen, before deciding to throw any money down on it.

Apparently some people are disappointed to discover that Arioch is not "the most important artist in the history of metal" as they insisted a few years ago, and so cast dispersions on this latest album for not being innovative or philosophically valid enough. It is a matter of personal "philosophy" that these nay-sayers should simply listen to MUSIC, rather than try to expound about it's value as anything other than music.

While I was blown away by "Salvation", I did not email all my mommy's- basement boyfiends and rant about what a Wile E. Coyote SUUUUPER genius Arioch is, and how he can never fail us in flying the banner of truly disturbing---and what's more important, really very very importantly important---sounds that only the most jaded and cynical truly kvlt sonic "experts" could ever hope to enjoy and dissect endlessly. I utilize words like 'sounds' and 'sonic', because Funeral Mist could never be considered something as lowly as mere music, anything as pedestrian as a black metal recording artist. Arioch could never fail us...until something else that is even more kvlt comes along, at which time we can gleefully cast dispersions upon his daring to become such a sell-out.

Now, before you start responding to my vitriol with Brian Setzer's "Drink Whiskey and Shut Up", I'll actually begin to review "Maranatha"! Upon first listen, I found it to be a suitably similar album to "Salvation", even down to the Black Plague theme and the un-necessary ,seemingly 3-hour long song prior to the exciting conclusion. And after repeated listenings, I still maintain that opinion. Arioch DOES gurgle and bark and burp and snarl and hiccup and squeal...so why does it bother some that he does this on the latest album as well as the first? Hmmmm, if you find his vocals to be unpalatable, perhaps the best idea would be to consult a young child who's advice would no doubt be "if ya don't like it, don't listen to it!" Myself, I was pleased that he introduced a few different maniacal noises to complement his usual tools. I doubt it anyone reading this does not know what his vocals sound like, whether it be with Marduk of Funeral Mist (admittedly, he allows himself a bit more variety with FM).

The music? It is the same music as "Salvation"!!!!!! Not the exact same riffs and structures, but nothing so wildly different or outre' that it should cause any confusion to anyone who has heard the previous album. Sure, there are different nuances that were not on "Salvaion", but he didn't have room to put all of everything he'd ever thought of on that album, did he? I hear a very small Marduk influence creeping in, as is expected due to his current affilitation with them. But is that a bad thing?

There is some repetetive junk on "Maranatha". But there is also some brilliantly bizarre stuff that leaps out suddenly to take one by suprise. Just like on the last one. There are some impossibly chaotic riffs/passages on this new one, something that as a "jaded" listener of an inhuman amount of black metal I've never heard the like of. Just a few snatches here and there, but enough to keep my interest. And my appreciation.

The production is a bit more dry, a bit more claustrophobic than "Salvation", but not to the point of sounding utterly unrelated to that album. The drums? Sure ain't no Necromorbus, but if you aren't obsessed with drumming you won't even know the difference.

The cover/booklet is ugly. VERY ugly. As is the music within. We are treated to the same kind've pictorials of medieval torture extravaganzas and dead deformities as in the past, as well as the lyrics being scrawled macabrely. And, yes, in many cases very tritely in Latin; a trend which I was beginning to sicken of 3 years ago, at least.

I don't think Funeral Mist's "Maranatha" is a very landmark, pioneering album. Which is great, because sometimes I just wanna hear plain good old creepy black metal!!!! I'm not trying to impress anyone by finding "the latest thing", and don't expect Arioch to provide that. He has provided me with exactly what I wanted. In fact, I'm going to give him a dollar next time I see him, just because he's OK

Finally, after six years of complete silence, and with very little warning, Funeral Mist returns with a new album, Maranatha. As can be expected, this created a wave of excitement within the black metal community; Salvation has been regarded as the best orthodox black metal album of all time, and one of the most savage and profane offerings within black metal in general. However, it also created a great deal of suspicion and worry, as the band has been quiet for an extended period of time, Arioch having been doing his time with Marduk. Bands that release albums after an extended leave of absence tend to shipwreck very quickly. However, in this reviewer's humble opinion, this album is a triumph (minus a couple hiccups).

This album is Funeral Mist's second album to date, consisting of eight tracks and clocking in at nearly 55 minutes in length. I have to admit, upon first listen I was thoroughly disappointed in this album; I suffered from OCFS (Obsessive Compulsive Fanboy Syndrome), and the radical change in Funeral Mist's sound left me with a sense of betrayal. You can hardly blame me; Salvation has and always will be my favourite album of this genre. However, I noticed something subtle about Maranatha, something that compelled me to listen to it again instead of discarding it like so much trash, hanging up my black metal shirts, and listening to nothing but rap till the end of my days. And upon the 5th listen, I realized what I had noticed was that the album had the same furious, evil, commanding tone that Salvation had, even though the atmosphere of the album was thoroughly different than anything they had previously done. The first track, Sword of Faith, starts off with a one-minute sample of a man yelling "it's the plague! it's the plague!" which sets the mood for the rest of the album. Unfortunately, the rest of the track is only average, sounding like a better, more violent form of a Marduk track. The next song is the only one that I cannot find any redeeming features, save for the fact that it is a short track. I understand that Arioch wanted to experiment with this track, but in this case it goes thoroughly wrong. The third track is really a standout; Jesus Saves! is the song in which the full scope of what Funeral Mist was attempting to accomplish is revealed. Starting off savagely, the black metal component of the song triumphantly ends about five minutes in, giving way to an uncharacteristic acoustic passage that nonetheless works very well at maintaining the dark atmosphere. The next standout track, Blessed Curse, is somewhat similar stylistically to Circle of Eyes, due to their pattern of riffs and their excellent use of samples. The unnamed drummer is no Necromorbus, but definitively is more than competent, even for this album. Arioch's already vitriolic vocal delivery is pushed to new heights, sounding truly tormented and twisted. The guitarwork throughout the whole album sounds a good deal more polished than what was heard in the previous releases, which is most likely a good part of why this album has gotten so many mixed reviews; some are calling it more accessible than Salvation due to this and the fact that it is more of a mid-paced album. I would have to agree with that statement - but in no way does that make it bad.

In truth, I dislike having to give this album a rating of any type. The previous Funeral Mist album took me a whole year to fully wrap my head around, and I must have re-written the review for it at least four times since I first wrote it. I have spun this album many times, and I can already tell that it will take me a good deal longer for me to fully understand (or at least, as fully as one can understand Funeral Mist without being Arioch) this album. However, I realized that, along with Salvation, Maranatha is something quite unlike anything that has ever been released.

What a surprise, after absolute silence and no word of any possible future releases, Funeral Mist drops "Maranatha" at our feet. "Maranatha" is a release that seems to have polarized their audience with those that seek to genuinely dismiss Funeral Mist with some unjustifiable cause, and those that seek to heap praise upon them with perhaps just as mystifying a purpose. The truth lies of course in between these two camps, and if we observe the album and its musical contribution one realizes that it is simply a good progression from it's predecessor "Salvation".

Now on to the music; "Maranatha" is a thoughtful and more varied continuation of the "Salvation" formula. That isn't to say the music is less extreme, as it clearly has just as much bite, with razor sharp riffing in tracks like Sword of Faith, Jesus Saves!, and a A New Light. The signature vocalizations of Arioch are there in every track, espousing black bile with his manic and disgusting style, which is reminiscent of Lord Worm within a black metal aesthetic (this is yet another aspect to Funeral Mist which separates listeners). If anything on this album the riffing is less obscured than how it was in "Salvation", removing ambiguity and imbuing each song with a new found melodicism like in the outro to Jesus Saves! or two and a half minutes into Anathema Maranatha. Anti-Flesh Nimbus is a perfect end song to this album, slow and menacing with some surprisingly melodic moments, it evokes a feeling of triumphant darkness with eerily sung clean vocals, fantastic.

Production wise, this album is less roomy than Salvation, while musically it is more ambitious, production wise it's atmosphere is considerably condensed no doubt due to more compression of the sound at Endarker studios. I personally would have been happier to hear a Necromorbus studio sound but that is a minor complaint.

To conclude, avoid the extreme factions and the silliness and listen to this album yourself, what you may find is a solid worthwhile progression Arioch's previous Funeral Mist works. While it may not break the floodgates and be the saviour of Black Metal, well who the hell needs a saviour anyways?

Favourite Tracks: Sword of Faith, Jesus Saves!, Anti-Flesh Nimbus, Anathema Maranatha

Weak Track: White Stone