Funeral Noise - Unholy Visions

 

 

Funeral Noise - Unholy Visions
Self released - August 2021
Sludge, doom, stoner
Rated: ****

Michigan sludgers Funeral Noise burst onto the scene with their filthy 2019 debut "Electric Funeral", which has been a mainstay in my rotation ever since. Lo and behold, the best kind of surprise happened when the Michiganders' sophomore Unholy Visions dropped out of nowhere just days ago, as blisteringly heavy and pummeling as could be hoped for. Longform opener "Under Heavy Hands / Unholy Visions" busts down the doors with an unrelenting assault of molasses-thick sludge, laying down churning, ten ton riffs that answer the question of what would happen if early High On Fire slowed it way down (and added death vocals). The doom is strong as well, especially in the latter half as the crushing drums emphasize the almost trad doom licks, with haunting clean singing to boot. Follow-up "A Poisoned Path" amps up the fury even further, with menacing kitwork serving as the backbone to lumbering riffs that stomp with a visceral impact. Funeral Noise is no one-trick pony, however, and a subdued acoustic break creates a contrast that makes the swift return to bone crushing pummel all the more flooring. A stretched out acoustic track takes the stage next in "Cradled By Sorrow", almost droning in its minimalism and fuzzy static as it takes a different sonic route to achieve more harrowing heaviness. Closer "The Liquid Throne" then cracks the whip again and dials up the nasty, laying down a painfully slow and particularly evil riff over clean, doomed out vocals to create an epic of a track that closes out with an appropriately hair-raising solo. Unholy Visions is another lethal home run for Funeral Noise, and is a release that should cement them as heavy hitters in the scene not to be trifled with.

(Written by Shasta Beast)

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