Aspire to Affliction

I cannot really state to listen to quite a lot of funeral doom (or doom metal in general). Therefore it takes something especially interesting to pick my interest. Thanks to some YT algorithms I ended up listening to Deber, a fairly new outfit from Uppsala/Sweden. The two gentlemen involved are no newbies though as they are also members of other quality bands like Anguish or Ondskapt. This kind of experience shows as their debut full length “Aspire to Affliction” is a very polished affair that should please each fan of slow, dark and intense music. Like usual for this sub-genre we get three lengthy tracks plus an atmospheric intro and outro. With a total running time of less than 40 minutes this album does not fall into the trap of overstaying its welcome, something that can easily happen to music concentrating on focusing on building a dense an immersive atmosphere first and foremost.

There are riffs though, don’t worry. They might not hit with full speed, but come across absolutely mountainous, loud and droning crashes of despair raining down on you. The atmosphere is haunting throughout the whole album length. Within the clearly defined genre framework the band offer a surprisingly multifaceted emotive experience. Here we witness artists showing an easy mastery of the funeral doom style, and know that while you can get far with droning repetition, you’ll get even further with rich emotive layering. This is a band whose vast soundscapes and stunning structures are guaranteed to mesmerize listeners get lost in their multilayered magic.

The songs feature arrangements that ebb and flow as each riff closes. Each transition marks an indistinguishable final chapter in a song segment and leads into something new. This album is mostly comprised of pieces, not so much standard songs that can be easily consumed anytime. However, it is the way how those pieces have been put together that makes this album stand out from most of its peers. There are moments of intensity where the drums are concerned, although the instrument is used sparingly for large parts, acting as an embellishment or to provide the metronomic beat in the background, out on the periphery much of the time. The use of simple synths to underpin the riffs and provide additional layers of atmosphere is a good move too, a welcome addition to the uncompromising riffing and the deep and powerful vocals elsewhere.

Each of the three main tracks has very much its own identity, but there is a clear pattern within them all, running like a red thread through the whole album. Each features those intense and slow-paced riffs, atmospheric keyboards, guttural growls and at certain points, an injection of subtle melody. The clean but crushing production job helps to identify all the small details put into the songwriting. I am not an expert on pure doom or funeral doom, but I believe that “Aspire to Affliction” should be a must-have for fans of the genre. Perfect music for dark days.