With a name like Funereal Presence, you’d be a smart cookie in expecting a sound of the funereal variety, not twisting, shimmery, reverb-drenched black metal like Negative Plane, but the latter is exactly what debut full length The Archer Takes Aim boasts. It is no surprise then, to learn that this is the one-man side project of Bestial Devastation (if I had a real name to provide, by god I would…), drummer of that same Plane. By tweaking the formula just so, Mr. Devastation ensures that this doesn’t play second fiddle to his regular act, and provides one wildly fun slab of theatrical blackness in the process.
To put it most simply, Funereal Presence is a more identifiably black metal version of Negative Plane. While there are still heaps of twists, slithers, swirls, and trills, The Archer Takes Aim feels notably less free form than an album such as Stained Glass Revelations. It brings plenty of rockier passages by galloping away or taking on a bit of a Ludicra vibe, ups the neo-classicism by going a tad Dissection, offers the occasional thrash, and shows a serious knack for layering intertwining melodies. There is also the fact that the album is loaded to the gills with killer, irresistible riffage, ranging from the playful leads to the absolutely cutting tremolo lines heard throughout. The latter dominate the title track, helping to make it the most exciting of the bunch.
From well-placed chimes and bells to variations in the guitar tone for clean passages, The Archer Takes Aim boasts a stout attention to detail. One such detail is the varied, always fitting drum performance, featuring blasts, gallops, and an old school love for the hi-hat (the 6/8 passages in “Gestalt des Endes” are beyond cool). But perhaps no single element stands out more than the wailing clean vocals. When they come over a period of sustained gloom, they give off more than the slightest Attila Csihar feel (think “Life Eternal”), and when they are coupled with the harsh vocals, they are yet another example of how this album really nails its layering. These wails are also the last piece of the slightly theatrical puzzle that Funereal Presence has put together.
If one had to pick a nit, one might say that the three main songs here don’t quite justify their immense lengths (two over 12 minutes, one over 16). But one could also make the point that by filling every minute with cool material, Funereal Presence has indeed justified the epic approach. Even closing instrumental “Dämmerlicht” – the type of song that could easily be construed as an afterthought – is loaded with enough pure radness to prove a fitting finish. It all adds up to make The Archer Take Aim an album that ought to get more than a couple serious looks from black metal fans. For those already into Negative Plane, it should be downright addictive.
