black metal / dark ambient / experimental / industrial
Here's a review for an interesting release that flew largely under the radar: Haiku Funeral's "Decadent Luminosity", released end of October 2018. I do find it strong enough to revisit - after all, at the year's end, one should be compassionate to those who do not get what they deserve.
"Decadent Luminosity" is a double CD, with a total of 12 songs. Thematically, both discs stand on their own: the first one, called "Decadent", sounds like diabolical industrial metal - the band themselves call it "blackened industrial darkness". The second disc is called "Luminosity" and is a more ritualistic, organic affair ("ritual satanic ambient").
So what exactly is blackened industrial darkness? Imagine hammering industrial drums, meandering fuzzy basslines, some metallic impacts here and there, ancient string instruments, and, to top it all off, ritual chants and declamations. The end result is pretty electrifying, at times reminding me of NATO- or Wat-era Laibach, and of the icy cold declamations of Coph Nia's Aldenon Sartorial.
Highlights on this disc are the church organ solo at the end of the first song (Scientia Intra Satana), the eerie piped melodies on Lunata Sveti Kato Smwrt, and the Laibachian The Crown Of His Glory.
As already stated, the second disc sounds more organic, largely due to the absence of the industrial drumming. Instead, what we get is a carefully constructed atmosphere, composed of slow drones, reverberating vocals, bells, saxophones, and other odd instruments. Perfect background listening, in my opinion - again, Coph Nia seems to have been a big inspiration (e.g. Poems of infernal Flesh).
Haiku Funeral is a French duo, operating from Marseille since 2008. Published by Aesthetic Death, Decadent Luminosity is their fifth release. Is it perfect? No, at times I find the lyrics to be somewhat silly. But apart from that, this is a gratifying and immersive listening experience for those cold days and nights spent sitting by the fireplace.
Koen
"Decadent Luminosity" is a double CD, with a total of 12 songs. Thematically, both discs stand on their own: the first one, called "Decadent", sounds like diabolical industrial metal - the band themselves call it "blackened industrial darkness". The second disc is called "Luminosity" and is a more ritualistic, organic affair ("ritual satanic ambient").
So what exactly is blackened industrial darkness? Imagine hammering industrial drums, meandering fuzzy basslines, some metallic impacts here and there, ancient string instruments, and, to top it all off, ritual chants and declamations. The end result is pretty electrifying, at times reminding me of NATO- or Wat-era Laibach, and of the icy cold declamations of Coph Nia's Aldenon Sartorial.
Highlights on this disc are the church organ solo at the end of the first song (Scientia Intra Satana), the eerie piped melodies on Lunata Sveti Kato Smwrt, and the Laibachian The Crown Of His Glory.
As already stated, the second disc sounds more organic, largely due to the absence of the industrial drumming. Instead, what we get is a carefully constructed atmosphere, composed of slow drones, reverberating vocals, bells, saxophones, and other odd instruments. Perfect background listening, in my opinion - again, Coph Nia seems to have been a big inspiration (e.g. Poems of infernal Flesh).
Haiku Funeral is a French duo, operating from Marseille since 2008. Published by Aesthetic Death, Decadent Luminosity is their fifth release. Is it perfect? No, at times I find the lyrics to be somewhat silly. But apart from that, this is a gratifying and immersive listening experience for those cold days and nights spent sitting by the fireplace.
Koen
