Review of Funeral Whore - "Phantasm"
DARK DUTCH DEATH
By: Geoff Teach
Old school death metal...the term conjures memories of archetypal bands like Obituary, Possessed, Morbid Angel, and Master. However, seeing as we now live in the 21st century, if you’re in the mood for new death metal with that classic, paradigmatic feel, you probably turn to acts such as Jungle Rot, Entrails, or perhaps the up-to-date releases also from the aforementioned Master or Obituary. And now, thanks to the German label FDA Rekotz, we can add the Dutch quartet Funeral Whore to the list of talented, modern death metal acts that pay reverence to the progenitors of their genre through their songwriting and production.
Born and bred in the northwest suburbs of Amsterdam, in The Netherlands, Funeral Whore are apparently on a mission to return Stygian, seething death metal to its rightful place at the forefront of extreme music again. Last month, the foursome from Holland released their second full-length album (and first since 2012), Phantasm, and with its eleven darkly depraved offerings, this release is pure, vintage death metal wizardry. Brimming with fiendish imagery, maliciousness, and evil, Phantasm by Funeral Whore is unequivocally spellbinding.
Sounding most similar in sound and production to a hybrid of Death and The End Complete-era Obituary, Funeral Whore’s Phantasm instantly takes hold of you from the opening notes of the title track; and doesn’t let go until the final notes of the closer, “The Mortuary at Night”, finally fade from your waking consciousness. Some of Phantasm’s finest selections include “Reanimated”, “The Graveyard Silence”, “Down the Abyss”, “Morningside Cemetery”, and “Only Coffins Remain”, but to be fair, all of Phantasm is compelling and tons of fun to listen to. I strongly suggest that all of my dear readers check out Funeral Whore by pressing play below, and if you fancy the tunes, be sure to support the band by purchasing a copy of Phantasm forthwith.
To listen to Phantasm in its entirety, just press play below!
And to check out Funeral Whore on the web, please click the following links: