By: Daniel Jackson
Album Type:
Full Length
Date Released:
23/03/2018
Label:
Osmose Productions (EU) |
20 Buck Spin (US)
This
band has always been the gold standard when it comes to dense, emotive funeral
doom, but this latest hallmark in their discography takes that heart-shredding
melancholy to its furthest extreme yet. This
is Mournful Congregation’s crowning achievement. ‘The Incubus Of Karma’ is a
fucking masterpiece.
‘The Incubus Of Karma’ CD/LP/CS/DD track listing:
1. The Indwelling Ascent
2. Whispering Spiritscapes
3. The Rubaiyat
4. The Incubus of Karma
5. Scripture of Exaltation and
Punishment
6. A Picture of the Devouring Gloom
Devouring the Spheres of Being
The Review:
I sit here struggling to find the
right words, or really any words at all, to convey the weight and impact of ‘The Incubus Of Karma’, Mournful Congregation’s first new album in over six years.
I’ll do my best, anyway. This band has always been the gold standard when it
comes to dense, emotive funeral doom, but this latest hallmark in their
discography takes that heart-shredding melancholy to its furthest extreme yet.
To get this out of the way
immediately; the lead guitar work throughout ‘The Incubus Of Karma’ is absolutely incredible. I’m not just
talking about their trademark thick, layered guitar harmonies. I’m talking
about those ascendant high-fret leads that sail and glide above them. Each and
every one of them is immaculately composed and performed in a manner meant to
cut even the most callous facades to the quick. Whether it’s during a devastating
funeral crawl or a plaintive low-dynamic interlude, the sorrow just doesn’t let
up. It’s mercilessly sad.
The crux of this entire album is the
band largely deciding to stay out of the way of the guitars. Drums, vocals,
bass, and keyboards: they’re all in almost exclusively supporting roles.
Drummer Tim Call is also known also for his work in bands like Aldebaran, Nightfell, and Weregoat, and in each of those bands, his drumming is
considerably more active than his performance here. I’d be shocked if he
averaged more than one actual drum fill every 2-3 minutes in total.
This isn’t a criticism, by the way.
It may be a uniquely bare bones performance, but it’s exactly what the music
calls for. Even his drum sound is subdued, with a snare sound that recalls that
of the first Danzig album, drenched in reverb, and the
cymbals mixed even quieter than normal for a Mournful
Congregation album.
Again, the guitars are the axis on
which ‘The Incubus Of Karma’ spins.
If you’re looking for a specific example, look no further than the album’s
instrumental title track. The song is an absolute testament to the astonishing
emotion that lead guitar can conjure, as these ultra expressive solos cascade
over gentle acoustic guitar. And there’s equally brilliant leads all over the
album. These aren’t note-spamming, “virtuosity for its own sake” solos. It’s
all about the articulation, the bending of notes in a specific way to wring
every last ounce of passion and sadness from the strings.
Look, if it feels like I’m just spouting
label and band-friendly hyperbole, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do
because as I sit here writing this, that’s all I feel does the album justice.
One of my biggest pet peeves in metal is an album going longer than an hour.
This album is damn near 80 minutes and I can’t think of any section I want
shorter or cut altogether. That just doesn’t happen for me. It’s made the
strongest early impression of any album so far this year, and the strongest
early impression of any funeral doom album I’ve ever heard. This is Mournful Congregation’s crowning achievement. ‘The Incubus Of Karma’ is a fucking
masterpiece.
‘The
Incubus Of Karma’ is available in Europe through
Osmose, or through 20 Buck Spin in North America.
Band info: Facebook
