Mournful Congregation...The Exuviae of Gods - Part II (2023)

Unleashing a gargantuan slab of Funeral Doom Metal, today we have Australia’s moodiest outfit Mournful Congregation with part two of “The Exuviae of Gods”. Clocking in at nearly forty minutes of excruciating misery inducing music, this release features three highly demoralizing tracks. If you like your Doom to be slow, painful and soul-crushing, you know that there is no other band better than these guys, and with this release they continue to up their game.

Opening with the mournful tempo of “Heads Bowed”, the band sends the listener into a bottomless trance thanks to its crafty riffs and highly moody tempo changes. This excellently crafted opener delivers bleakness from minute one, and never relentless. The ‘shortest’ track in this release, the 8-minute “The Forbidden Abysm”, shines a bit of hope with some decadent opening riffs, however, it quickly returns to its brilliant misery-inducing pace alongside deep growls.

The release closes with the lush acoustic guitars of “The Paling Crest”, a track that slowly progresses and brilliantly oozes melancholy. The acoustic passages give this song a different edge, creating expectation and transmitting a very eerie Empyrium-esque vibe that we loved. Overall, “The Exuviae of Gods - Part II” delivers excellent musicianship paired with raw and direct emotions. This is probably one of the longest EP’s we have ever reviewed and we loved it. If you are a fan of old-school Funeral Doom Metal and like to venture a bit into even more melancholic territories - this is the release for you.

Label: Osmose Productions | 20 Buck Spin

Release: May 26th, 2023

Genre: Funeral Doom Metal

Country: Australia