Rarely would one use the phrase “short and sweet” to describe funeral doom. Yet here we are, courtesy of M.V. and Y.S. of Dutch doomsters Angmodnes and their debut EP, The Weight of Eternity. And trim the fat, I say, as the approach here works.
The devil is often in the sometimes well-concealed details with funeral doom. Unless, of course, you are Angmodnes who, to their credit, introduce a relative smorgasbord of vocals fairly early. I say “relative” only to assure those concerned with scat or yodeling that the range here isn’t quite that extensive — strictly harsh and clean vocals. But simply having one additional set of clean vocals here is enough to give these rich, lumbering and dark songs a lighter layer.
And it is that ever so slightly lighter layer that makes The Weight of Eternity a less intimidating listen than releases from some of Angmodnes’s peers. I’d venture to guess that the person who just casually plays Evoken, Skepticism, early Ahab, or Mournful Congregation is rare. There’s an instinctive ritualism involved in preparing oneself for the sheer emotional weight, even if it’s lurking in our subconscious. And no one is mainlining funeral doom on the couch from dusk to dawn without doing some serious damage. It’d be like watching all fourteen Lars Von Trier films back-to-back. That’s not to say that it can’t be done but that it would be unwise. You know, mental health and all.
Of course, that blunt expression of sorrow isn’t exclusive to the lyrics. Musically, The Weight of Eternity is at its best when it unpacks that darkness in stages. The last of its three songs, “Under Darkened Vaults,” does that particularly well. That’s more easily accomplished with a change of pace — and there are a few of those here — but the keys and soaring clean vocals give it an almost ethereal vibe. Less overwhelmingly depressive and more contemplative, perhaps. That ability to develop a mood, to command an audience in that “let me be your tour guide to grief” way, is what sets this band apart.
