Review: Self Titled by Bleed This Earth

Funeral Doom is in many ways a precarious genre, and despite it's relatively simple origins of taking the slowest parts of death-doom and making them even slower, it isn't an easy genre to play. I mean, technically it is simpler to play than death metal, but the space that the slow tempo creates means that there is a need for something else that can fulfil the atmospherics of the songs. Some bands put focus on the darkness and heaviness, such as Tyranny or Catacombs, and can often produce music that is so devastatingly slow and unyielding in it's depressing atmosphere that it takes the genre to a whole other level. On the other hand there are the bands that focus on the melodic and more intricate song-writing side of the genre, the likes of Esoteric, Skepticism and Pantheist being examples of this. That's not to say that these bands aren't still heavy, and equally the heavier bands are still melodic, but there is a clear focus on a particular hemisphere of of the genre. There are those bands who manage to balance both sides well, such as Ahab, Loss, and genre progenitors Mournful Congregation; on a personal level this is the sweet spot, where the cacophonous character of Funeral Doom is at it's melancholic best.

Of course this isn't a strict structure, and like all things in music there is an almost limitless spectrum within the genre, a spectrum that keeps increasing in scope as more music is created. So where do we find Bleed This Earth in this spectrum of Funeral Doom? Certainly they are on the more melodic side of the genre, but the emotional route this album goes down can't avoid becoming heavier and more disturbing as it goes on.

This is the debut release from Bleed This Earth, a trio who hail from New Zealand, and considering most bands don't find their distinct style at the first attempt, Bleed This Earth have done well to find their unique point. The album kicks off with As I Waste Away, which is a classic funeral doom composition, containing almost all of the traditional elements of the genre. It's both heavy and melodic, and there is a balance between the dense atmosphere and spacious ambience. The track's second half comes in waves, building up and breaking down in quick succession, with each build up getting more intense each time. It's a good demonstration of what this band can do, but compared to the tracks that follow, it isn't as distinctively theirs.

Considering how mighty the opening track was, I was surprised by how soft the next track begins. The Bell Song opens with a beautiful but distressing melody before introducing a huge wall of distortion and drums. Then as the riff slows down, we get some wonderful clean vocals which I really wasn't expecting. The singing is really strong, not too grand and epic but not too mellow and gentle either. There's a palpable emotion in the voice too, which isn't an easy thing to accomplish. Lyrically both of these tracks are wonderfully poetic, with a dark romanticism that still feels vividly grim. As the song progresses it gets heavier, and the harsh vocals return in their guttural form, with the occasional emphatic high scream too. It's a wonderful composition, and next to the relative modesty of the opening track, it's a pleasant surprise that the band have created something so intricate.

That surprise doesn't last long though, because Sixteen Years continues in exactly the same vein, crafting an incredible journey through torturous mental depression; lyrically the song deals with some very raw and painful emotions around abuse, and it's not an easy listen. The track almost becomes febrile in it's sadness, and as the waves of softness and heaviness continue it becomes a tempestuous exhibition into something truly heartbreaking. It pairs thematically with the final track The Wake of Absolution, although musically this is a much heavier affair, a track unafraid to increase the aggression and rage in it's tone. Even when it breaks into a clean melody in the final third, there is a tangible bitterness that by the end grows into a massive sonic release of despair and grief.

This album is a fine beast that simply gets better as it goes on, and with each listen becomes even more gripping. The band manage to brilliantly capture the emotions of despair and sorrow that the lyrics describe, without resorting to overtly ostentatious instrumentation or excessive song lengths. Instead the band have kept focus on what they do well, which is writing hauntingly mournful melodies and building these up into heavy riffs that take the listener on an emotional journey. There are times when I feel the sound could go even further in these dynamics, creating broader atmospheres in the mellow moments and more intensity in the heavy moments. This is certainly an area that the band have room to improve on, but rarely do bands create a perfect debut. Bleed This Earth have set themselves up to create a continuing catalogue of brilliant emotive Funeral Doom, and I can see this band growing even further into their sound as they move to the next record.

Listen to Bleed This earth on Bandcamp