Mourners - Act I: Tragedies (2021)

Highly prolific Daniel Neagoe (Clouds) is back with another soul-crushing Funeral Doom Metal release with his new band Mourners. In “Act I: Tragedies”, the band explores the depths of misery with a very powerful and direct release. For over 50 minutes the listener is immersed in a solemn and bleak experience, making this one of the best releases of the genre in 2021.

The typical atmospheric piece, “Apparitions” sets a desolate mood while delivering a warm-up onslaught of crushing brutality. “The Way of Darkness” slowly builds up to crushing combinations of massive growls and punishingly slow riffs. Daniel’s signature vocals perfectly layer with the minimalist instrumentation and ripping guitars in tracks like “Souls Breathing Nothingness” and “Ansu Enthroned” further creating a cavernous hollowness that only bands like Thergothon, Evoken or Mournful Congregation create.

With Mihai Dinuta handling the guitars, aside from the massive distorted riffs, we get some weeping clean guitars that nicely contrast the heavy growls, creating an extra layer of bleakness, like on the closer “Journey In Fear”. While we could write tons more about how crushing and powerful this release is, we rather have the listener experience its full power without many spoilers. One thing for sure is that Mourners delivers top notch depressive/melancholic music that rivals the finest bands of the genre.

Label: Personal Records

Release: February 5th, 2021

Genre: Funeral Doom Metal

Country: Romania