Val, the person behind this German funeral doom project, started Frowing in 2011. He was inspired by the exact bands I mentioned above. 2014 saw his first substantial release, which is now followed by another brilliant piece of music. For this, he got some help from vocalists Stanislav Govorukha (Suffer Yourself) and Hekjal (Ad Cinerem). In short, 'Extinct' is a stunning testament of depression, fear and despair.
In a way, this is an album with all the right ingredients to make it a classic funeral doom album, nothing more, nothing less. The tempo is extremely slow. The guitars and drums create an immersive and hypnotizing sound on which the deep growls thrive. The songs are long, with 'Buried Deep' lasting over twenty minutes. 'Frédéric Chopin's Marche Funèbre' is the shortest one, clocking off at about six minutes.
That being said, no, this album doesn't differ that much from the ones by Shape Of Despair, Esoteric and all the others but that doesn't matter one little bit. I'm absolutely sure that fans of the genre cvan easily appreciate the tormented sound of 'Encumbered by Vermin' or the brilliant 'Veiled In Fog', each of them being a vintage funeral doom track. Besides, the whole thing carries that cold, eerie atmosphere that we all adore so much.
So take it from me, if there is one album that funeral doom fans will love this year, or if there is one band in this genre to be discovered, it might as well be this one. You simply can't go wrong with Frowning. This one is going right into my day-to-day playlist and I'm sure it'll guarantee another countles of hours of pure misery and damnation, just the way we doomers like it...
Serge