Review by chrisc7249 on January 8, 2023.

Talk about some astonishing funeral doom built off of a lot of emotion… these American funeral experts were only around for a short time, but they produced at least one (haven't heard the second record) gloomy, sorrowful release that exceeded my expectations by a great margin. Not only is it depressing as all hell, but it is extremely powerful in its delivery and will have any fan of slow, deep music coming back for more.

What's made me keep coming back to this album time and time again is undoubtedly its massive atmosphere, catapulted into glorious territory with majestic melodies that shroud the listener in a cloak of despair. They're very nostalgic, timeless and surprisingly catchy, and never fails to put me in a trance whenever I decide to throw this album on. This is exceedingly true on the first two tracks, the second one being my favorite with its torrential build ups that explode into a sea of beauty when the time is just right. They never keep you guessing on what's going to come next, releasing the energy on point, but they also never become predictable enough to where you roll your eyes and let out a sigh. "A Clarion Call" feels familiar in the sense that you'll feel right at home listening to it as you're draped in the emotions of yesteryear, and the sense of Melancholy overwhelms.

The vocals are dynamic, complete with your ominous funeral growls as well as some deep clean singing, done by three different voices, including John Gossard of Weakling fame… there's also some haunting cello lines sprinkled throughout the record that add an extra coating of atmosphere without coming across as gimmicky or nerdy. The production is thick, bulging with aggression, but also not too raw, which I've found to be a problem associated with a lot of the earlier funeral doom albums, say, the ones from the 90s.

Anyone on the lookout for some dense and gorgeous slow music that doesn't mind extreme vocals will find something to love about this album, guaranteed. I personally love that, excluding the last track, which is essentially 11 minutes of silence, this record is very compact! The three tracks tally only 40 minutes, so it does not overstay its welcome any. As of writing this… this is my favorite funeral doom record.

Rating: 8 out of 10