The second album from doom dirge metal Frowning is, as you might expect from something referred to as funeral doom metal, a long slog. The moniker of Val Atra Niteris (Ad Cinerem, Heimleiden) who apart from being a virtuoso has come to terms with smiling upside down and inside out on the Extinct album.
The tenacity of doom metal to hold a chord with a death grip is a prevalent aspect of the genre and Extinct helps to blur the lines between ambient noise and titular soundscaping. However you have to admire the determination involved in creating such drawn out compositions that require perseverance to reveal their colours. Suffice to say Extinct is a rewarding album, if you have the patience enough to listen.
From heavy chord structures that could rival the Empire State Building to serene musical glades that rise like spring from a winters day this album and Val know how to create resplendent tunes that feel substantial, giving art to an exponential reality of physical properties through the simple vibrations of one man and his amp. It’s a powerful adaptation of the artists vision and it resonates profusely if given the time. Especially on Buried Deep.
Perseverance is the key to understanding this album because it’s anything but a quick fix. It’s inspired by doom metal after all, but it has a quirky progressive attitude that’s hard to let go. Even through it’s moribund expression it’s captivating due to it being like an album that detects ghosts. In its studious articulation it manages to be both intriguing and evasive, cropping brilliant melodies within walls of noise.
One final graven note: Val does a pretty intense and spine chilling cover, arrangement, of Chopin’s Funeral March as (a six and a half minute) outro. Making funerals great again. It’s definitely a fantastic supplement to an already hearty album.
8/10
