Album Review: Funeral Tears – Beyond the Horizon (Cimmerian Shade Recordings)

Beyond the Horizon is the third full-length album from Russia’s Funeral Tears. The album is out on April 13th 2017 via Satanath Records (Russia) & Cimmerian Shade Recordings (USA).

The best way to describe the following 56 minutes is by using the word ‘depressing’. Funeral Tears’ new album, Beyond the Horizon is funeral doom. The most oppressive, dark & evil sounding stuff you might hear this year. It’s bloody fantastic.

After a soft intro, Close My Eyes lays it all out for you see. The blackest of riffs, the heaviest of bass lines, vocals that are so guttural & low it’s hard to believe they are coming out of the mouth of a human & an ear shattering drum beat. It’s hard to not become transfixed by what you’re hearing especially when a smallest bit of melody is added to the background.

As starts go it’s one that certainly grabs the attention & for the most part it holds it throughout. Songs like Dehiscing Emptiness & I Suffocate are are so bleak, so dark-fueled that it will feel like you’re filling up with an emptiness. It does begin to wear you down after a while though. It’s a very unique sounding album but with only 6 tracks most begin to drag on.

Often throughout Beyond the Horizon you’ll find what you remember most are moments. The haunting effect that sees out I Suffocate, the screeches that accompanies the flashes of intense heaviness of Beyond the Horizon & the epic-ness of the finale, Eternal Tranquillity.

The latter, with its 10+ minute finish, doesn’t break much new ground for the first few minutes but is worthy of note because of the subtle background tunes. It creates this feeling of growth, a feeling that we’re building to something spectacular. A drop into a soft guitar melody & bowel-shaking bass breaks the song apart well before it flows perfectly into a crushing metal finish.

It’s a great ending to an album that has much for you to smile about even if it leaves you in a black mood.

Funeral Tears – Beyond the Horizon Full Track Listing:

1. Close my Eyes
2. Breathe
3. Dehiscing Emptiness
4. I Suffocate
5. Beyond the Horizon
6. Eternal Tranquillity

You can find out more about Funeral Tears over on Bandcamp & Facebook.