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| #FOR FANS OF: Funeral Doom |
The Australian metal scene has many interesting projects and some gifted artists who spend years developing projects that reflect their musical vision. Toni Parker, better known by his moniker Dis Pater, is one of those masterminds who has shown immense talent in creating albums with a captivating atmosphere. The particular case of his project Midnight Odyssey is noteworthy, with its mammoth albums being a demanding yet fascinating offering of atmospheric black metal.
With one of his other projects, Tempestuous Falls, Dis Pater leaves the realms of black metal and navigates to the slower, yet equally dark and atmospheric waters of funeral doom. Although the genre is different, the talents and resources of Dis Pater are still recognizable. His love for creating strongly ambient-inspired compositions is absolutely present in this project, and the new opus 'The Descent of Mortals Past' is undoubtedly a celebration of his musical vision. The memorable painting created by Jacob van Swanneburgh, which serves as the album cover, is a beautiful entrance to the musical journey of this album. This album is for sure one of the most stunning funeral doom albums I have ever listened to. The sound is a bit lighter and easier to digest than the majority of the albums we can find in this genre. Still, the slowness of the compositions sticks perfectly well to the main concept of funeral doom. But what makes this album special is the generous and well-used arrangements that Dis Pater adds to the songs, creating exquisite melodies that enrich the compositions. Just listen to the album opener "Theseus-Encased in the Stones of Hades," which is a breathtaking beauty. The introduction with these keys and the gorgeous violins is simply marvelous and leaves me speechless every time I listen to it. The keys will accompany the fierce vocals and the harmonic guitar lines through a song that will certainly allure the listener.
Another particularity of this album is the common use of clean vocals by Dis Pater, which is not a novelty if you have listened to Midnight Odyssey beforehand. The main use of this approach in a genre like funeral doom can raise some eyebrows, especially because it is quite dominant, but somehow the clean vocals work in these songs and add an epic touch to the compositions, for example in the solemn track "Heracles – Dark is the Home of the Underworld". To be honest, I prefer the use of growls, but Dis Pater makes the use of these vocals work, and this is something I truly respect. In this track, as happens throughout the entire album, the listener will experience another great use of the keys and wisely placed arrangements that make it another captivating composition. The always touching violins return in the album closer "Aeneas-Guide Me Home", which is the longest track of this album and a worthy farewell. The riffing in this track is perhaps the best, as the riffs create hypnotic melodies that, combined with the use of the violin, form an absolutely winning combo and a delight for our ears.
'The Descent of Mortals Past' is definitely a sublime work by Tempestuous Fall. Dis Pater takes the funeral doom fundamentals and enriches them with his atmospheric excellence. The result is, as said, a beautiful work with tons of ravishing melodies that should be savored slowly and intensely by the listener. (Alain González Artola)
(I, Voidhanger Records - 2025)
Score: 90