Thanatic Unlife

Recently a pronounced tendency to make old-school conventionalized records became quite popular. This trend can be observed in various subgenres of metal: from thrash till doom; and what is more interesting - it turns out to be quite typical of new-born or just young bands. I am not going to enlarge on reasoning why it happens, whether it is a result of satiety and lack of personal, unique ideas, or just a sincere desire to give credit to pioneers of the genre and subculture in general… The fact is that such cases take place and they are not rare; so, here we have an appropriate sample of such a flashback.

A YOUNG MAN’S FUNERAL – a Russian doom/death band, or more precisely a project of A.S. (Alexey Slavin), who composes all music and plays all instruments; lately a second full-length record was released via Fono Ltd., quite an old Russian label with an undoubted name. Of course, being released at so to say cool label is not an absolute index of worth material any longer, but “Thanatic Unlife” was quite an adequate release.

The most salient feature of this record is a sound recording itself. For a verdant or simply unprepared listener it may seem weird as all three tracks are recorded in a very raw, vague manner. In the beginning a natural question “Did they forget to master it?” arise, nevertheless while you are listening, it becomes clear that it was done on purpose. Raw and raspy distortion, slightly muted vocals, lack of effects – all these uninviting and questionable tricks turn the album to a homage to such giants of funeral doom as THEROGOTHON or early PANTHEIST.
The tracks themselves are quite plane and direct; they are more logical and rather predictable. Prominent piano parts, which “converse” with simple and slipshod guitar riffs over the tracks, are incontrovertible ornamentations of the music. This duet creates feeling of something sinister, disturbing yet calm and sometimes even sentimental. More “narrative” vocal, recorded by E.S. (WHO DIES IN SIBERIAN SLUSH, DECAY OF REALITY, FORBIDDEN SHAPE), telling three different stories, refers the listener to the lyrics, which are generically about corruption and human decay. All these features together build atmosphere of coldness and desolation. While you are listening to “Thanatic Unlife” a scene of walls of your room slowly vanishing may appear in mind, and you are abandoned in an unfamiliar world of decline and decadence, where it is everlastingly cold and moist. The latter condition is appropriately strengthened with a sample of falling rain at the end of the last track. So, the spirits of the album are built confidently enough and “Thanatic Unlife” definitely leaves a scent in a listener’s memory.

Having heard Alexey’s debut work “To Never Return” with Andre de Hus (SERENITY FORGOTTEN) on vocals, an apparent progress can be seen. “Thanatic Unlife” is more mature record; it is much more elaborated and finalized. The vocals are more convincing. Even in terms of recording it is more “digestible”; I truly believe that the debut was 99.9% conventionalized record but may I drop dead if it doesn't sound more like a homemade demo (sorry, Alexey, don’t take it too close to your heart!).

Nevertheless, there is a room for development. Not in terms of composing or arranging, but in terms of finding identity and, so to say, singularity. “Thanatic Unlife” is a very good album in the view of shape and of funeral doom icons recognition. At the same time it lacks emotional aspect which is super important for every piece of music in every genre. Roughly speaking, it is the kind of album, you would put when you do not want to listen to something specific or do not want any impact on your mind and imagination. It does not set you thinking or make you live through emotional shock of any kind. As I see it, in these efforts to give credit to the founders, the music loses associating with time, what ruins a thin magic of emotional impact. Music becomes more like a synthetically raised and “galvanized” corpse from the grave rather than a living creature, developing and growing here and now. Everything should be on the right place and on right time. Nevertheless, this album and A YOUNG MAN’S FUNERAL project itself is a great choice for those who miss old school canonical funeral doom with all its rawness and precious and charming solitude.