Artist: Begräbnis
Title: Izanaena
Genre: Doom Metal / Doom / Sludge
Release Date: 28th October 2020
Label: Weird Truth Productions
Album Review
Japanese merchants of Doom BEGRÄBNIS arose out of the trees of Sendai in 2011. Their sound is an abysmal cacophony of haunted hymns that embodies the mortality of a funeral. Hence the name, which is German for funeral. ‘Izamaena’ is their debut album. Why it’s taken so long to release an album I don’t know. I’ve not heard of them until I got a press pack popping up in my emails the other day so whether they have released an album before or not is of no matter to really, if they had I’d not have heard it! Since inception they’ve released a couple of demos and some split releases with other bands including SOL and ESTRANGEMENT. Anyway, moving on…
I open the press pack and I see that it is an album of 4 tracks. 4 tracks! A long album then? That’s a sushi starter, it won’t take long to wade through. And then I remember to look at the overall duration, it’s 40 minutes long, that’s funereal. Have you ever tried walking through knee deep mud with the weight of the world on your shoulders? This album is like that, but whilst mud wading one is also having to deal with a barrage of sewage being shot at you! Every now again you appreciate the gaps for breath and the welcome surge of wind...
I don’t like this. On first listen my ears were pounded into mush by the heaviness of this beast and my thoughts were more vigorously scrambled that a whisk reconstituting eggs. Opening track ‘Inverted Cross’ introduces itself like a melded SCHAMMASCH / BLACK SABBATH hybrid with Barney from NAPALM DEATH on vocals. The tone is set and I ready myself for the slow walk through dank waters ahead. ‘Haniwari’ carries on this drudging theme, I’m already feeling like I’ve been dosed with Mogadon. Uplifted, I feel not! ‘Mortuary Cannibalism’ starts off with a vocal so low that I suspect that elephants can hear it. It could also be used to punch holes in walls. I’m feeling quite heavy headed now listening to this and I feel my back starting to arch under the strain of heavy morosity. ‘Nijigahara’ (Rainbow Belly?) is a track that has shards of light piercing the blackness whilst sounding like Carl McCoy with a sore throat.
One thing I admire about the album is the fact that it’s made me feel like shit. Getting through one complete play is a hard slog. I’d have to be in some deep dark mood to play this over and over, it’s definitely not for playing whilst deboning a chunk of meat! Subjectively this is horrid, objectively its horrid, if the purpose is to pound you into submission and deaden your enthusiasm then it’s succeeded in that! In conclusion, I need to go outside and shake myself!
Tracklist
01. Inverted Cross
02. Haniwari
03. Mortuary Cannibalism
04. Nijigahara
Line-up
Kyosuke Tanaka – Guitars
Takashi Harima – Guitars and Vocals
Fumika Souzawa – Vocals
Website
https://www.facebook.com/Begrabnis
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6
Sound: 6
Total: 6 / 10
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