Festering Earth

This vinyl pressing of “Festering Earth” was definitely something I really wanted to happen. I never managed to get the CD version of this album, which is a fuckin shame. In the meantime I collected the second Funerus album “Reduced to Sludge” as well as their 7”EP single “Black Death”. And damn, both of them belong to some of the best death metal that I’ve heard this decade. I’m very happy then that finally also “Festering Earth” is released on vinyl (through Dark Descent) and I can fill my collection of Funeral with the last missing piece.

And it’s obviously a great thing to have a chance to hear “Festering Earth” finally. At first I was quite surprised, because when I started to listen to the first song I told myself that I didn’t expect that Funerus will sound so heavy and slow. Only a couple of minutes later it turned out that even though this is a single LP, it should have been played on 45 RPM, not 33,5 RPM haha! And they didn’t even write that on the record haha, so I didn’t expect this. But once I changed the speed, the music started to sound more like what I expected.

And that is a brutal, chunky US styled death metal, which may not be the most impressive thing you’ll ever hear, but it does sound very solid and worthy. I like that heaviness and sheer viciousness that comes with it. Songs are rather short and simple, when speaking for their structures and technical aspects, but it works great, because Funerus makes up for it with aggression and straight forwardness of their sound. I like how Funerus swaps the pace between every song and do not limit themselves to the same monotonous slow parts – and definitely they’re not just a simple Incantation clone. Their riffs and songs on “Festering Earth” may not be quite as killer as on “Reduced to Sludge”, which is definitely a better album, but it’s damn good work anyway. It’s one of those albums which just gives a lot of pleasure to death metal fans. It’s not difficult to get into, it’s very aggressive and memorable old school stuff, so I’m sure you’ll like it.

At first I wanted to write also that the whole album is very even and all songs are equally great. And yes, they are, but one song stands out above the rest in my opinion and that is the title track – which sounds simply the best. I love the slow, doomy parts of this song and it even has a touch of melody to make the sound even more brilliant. Damn, I just love this song. And the whole album I think should be a killer recommendation for the fans of Gutted, Morpheus Descends, Banished, Obituary, and such European gods like Bolt Thrower, Grave and Asphyx.

So, summing it all up – it’s great that finally “Festering Earth” is available also on vinyl. The sound is great, the packaging is simple, but it has everything you will need, so you should just grab a copy and enjoy it. There are two colour versions – transparent purple and orange; choose whichever you want, although I think that it doesn’t matter what colour the vinyl is. The music is great, that’s the important thing.

Standout track: “Festering Earth”
Final rate: 75/100

Funerus is an underground Death Metal band that has been floating about the underground scene since the early 90’s with demos. Jill Daily on bass guitar is one of the founding members that once had Jason Foust on drums and Brad Heiple pulling double duty as guitarist and vocalist. When Brad left the band they split up, but Jill’s husband John McEntee, the guitarist and vocalist of Incantation helped her to get Funerus started again with some help from band-mate and drummer Kyle Severn. Soon Brad Heiple returned to his guitar and singing making the band once again a unit. But this band does not sound like a half assed remake of Incantation. Instead, John and Kyle are mostly studio musicians that help to turn out Jill’s down tuned mid paced compositions in the style of Entombed’s Left Hand Path, and old school Bolt Thrower.

The music thickly chugs like a dull machete pummeled through a rib cage. The vocals come right out of Brad guts as if he is howling in a sandstorm. Guitars are not played on this album for technicality and no insane solo fret work is showcased. Alternatively, the guitars come across as a down tuned locomotive of sound methodically plodding and pounding forth with deliberate bad intentions. The bass compliments the drums with a slow to fast rhythm like getting a cowgirl ride from Christina Aguilera. Yeah, this is filthy stuff that leaves a taste in yer mind long after it has been played.

As far as Metal goes this is arguably more Doom than Death Metal. No one is going to bust out the retard style windmill punches in a pit listening to this, but a few beers and a couple of deep bong hits would go over effectively during a spin of the disc. Crank Funerus over the speakers in front of any church, during doggy style sex on an ugly stained gas station floor, or while beating the teeth out yer neighbors diaper eating dog. And remember, Funerus is a paradigm for what old-school Death Metal is about: Deep muddy sound that resides permanently in yer guts!!!!

Also, BUY IT DON’T BURN IT… SUPPORT the METAL SCENE. Leave the burning of discs to nu-metal/metalcore posers.