The best album of the year is going to be real easy to pick out in 2021. Deiform by Funeral Mist released on the 17th of December 2021 by Norma Evangelium Diabolical of course. The perfect ending to another crap year (due to Covid, Corona and now this Omicron shit) anyway...
The LP release looks amazing and comes on 2 vinyls included inside a gatefold is a 12-page A4 booklet. While the CD release has a 20-page booklet.
Couldn’t wait until the LP, CD & t-shirt of my favorite bands new album to arrive in a proper way and not to stream it (my order has been posted but it could take to the 28th of January to arrive...). All pictures are taken from the Funeral Mist bandcamp. Support them, Holy Poison Design and Funeral Mist!
Btw. longtime no see my friends! Both here on the blog or Instagram almost a year. Am I back for good? I'll get to that in the end of the post... Let for now focus on Funeral Mist.
The most important happening of 2021. As always hated to say I'm doing reviews but maybe they are?
The following fast paced shorter Apokalyptikon has great vocals by "D.Rostén". So far an amazing 9:38 + 4:26 start! Could already tell I prefer this album more than Hekatomb (2018).
Amazing drumming by former Marduk drummer (2006-13) Lars B aka. Lars Broddesson during the entire album.
The 8:56 In Here shows that the short songs of the previous album Hekatomb (a averaged of 5:20) is a thing of the past. On Deiform its an average about 6:45 and that's very welcome.
I sound like a broken record already but the In Here (8:56) is another favorite of mine that appears on Deiform. Clearly among my top-3 songs.
Children Of The Urn (7:45) caught my ears directly with its Swedish children’s choir. Fucking brilliant! Even if a Funeral Mist album it's a cohesive experience I would place it as my 4th or 5th favorite song either this one or Apokalyptikon.
Hooks Of Hunger 4:54 was another song that I liked immediately during my first play through of the album. I wouldn't put it as high up as I did back of the initial listening.
Another top-3 song on the album is the title track Deiform 9:09 it's slow & heavy with Rostén’s vocals one of the most interesting songs. Deiform unlikely for a Funeral Mist song to use melodic Heavy Metal like guitars during a song. But take these "top songs" with a grain of salt it could change.
The ending Into Ashes 9:10 probably is in my opinion the weakest song on Deiform. Still an amazing song but wrong placed though it would been better placed next to last.
To rate Deiform among other Funeral Mist albums is very early. But it would be boring if I did not!
It’s not near the masterpieces Salvation (2003) or my favorite Maranatha (2009). But better than both Hekatomb and Devilry (1998).
The long songs feels welcome back and the 54 min album goes by very fast. 3 songs over 9 min: Twilight Of The Flesh; Deiform & Into Ashes and just 4 seconds short of 9 min In Here. Then also Children of the Urn almost 8 min just 2 songs under 5 min.
Clearly my favorite album in years! Since 2018 Hekatomb actually. Maybe even back to the 2012 album Serpent Sermon by Marduk. However I haven't looked deep into it and Deiform is a new album.
My only little complaint is that I would've wanted one more song so it could've broken the 1 hour barrier. But of course rather have a 54 min superb than 1 hour subpar experience.
As the world is for artists nowadays with Rostén releasing the ambient DomJord project with 2 excellent albums last year. The t-shirt productivity with Funeral Mist, Marduk, DomJord etc (amazing quality shirts NOT cheap shit) at Holy Poison. I was almost awaiting him announcing a new Funeral Mist album earlier when Marduk wasn't on tour. Sadly the January tour with Vader got cancelled due to fucking Covid restrictions...
Should have bought tickets to the December Darkness where I heard that they played the entire Dark Endless (1992) album on one of their two sets. Cannot confirm that though and with bands like Djevel, Voodus, Grá, Valkyrja it would've been amazing.
If the Gefle Metal Festival (Marduk; Emperor; Entombed; Mayhem; Meshuggah; Deicide; At The Gates; Uleashed; Mgla; Exodus etc.) gets cancelled for a 3rd summer I'll probably kill myself...
Didn't get as surprised as with Hekatomb when Deiform was announced just a week before its release. With Hekatomb it felt like the biggest bomb of 2018. However back then it had been 9 years since Maranatha and I wasn't sure if Funeral Mist was finished. Even if it felt like Rostén wasn't as involved on the Viktoria (2018) album by Marduk as before.
Might do a review when I get my LP, CD & t-shirt order from NoEvDia because 3 days of listening isn’t enough to have a fair opinion. I mean it took me many years to prefer Maranatha over Salvation. But for now I'll say that this was a brilliant album because my expectations are high as fuck whenever Funeral Mist release an album.
Now will I keep on posting? Don’t know! Still collecting of course have bought a lot of records this year not that many new ones though.
I own an even sicker fucking Marduk collection nowadays and really would like to do posts them. Some dates back 3 years or more.
And my collection of Funeral Mist official t-shirts, longsleeves plus a hoodie (now at 21 different designs).
Got to mention I bought the 6 LP + 7 CD Arcturus set Stars And Oblivion (The Complete Works 1991 to 2002). This is how a box set is suppose to be done. That means I finally got my most wanted vinyl The Sham Mirrors (2002), not the first print, but still a LP copy to spin. Included with great poster and other things I would love to do a post of it.
Have bought a bunch of other albums of course I would like to write about also. However I'll be posting a best of 2021 list that much is certain.
Already have a finished the writing vinyl of posts like Marduk - World Funeral: Jaws Of Hell MMIII (2020); Deathmarch Tour EP (2004); Souls For Belial (2013); Darkthrone - Eternal Hails......; the oldest is one of the 3 Marduk DVD's from 2018. And a bunch more that never got posted.
A thing that's been holding me back posting is ever since I moved to a new apartment (it was boring at the old place too). Is all the fucking pictures I'll take for just one post.
Might have to rethink how I do those and restrict myself to maybe 1 or 2 picture per post for the sake of my own sanity. But it wouldn't feel like my style also REFUSE to use stock photos that's fucking cheating. We'll just have to wait and see.
Until then Funeral Mist are still the FUCKING BEST!!
