The Misery Season

It’s very rare that I stumble upon a one-off death metal album from 2000 by a band that never stuck around. Odds are, I would not have discovered Funereal had a tape reissue not been released in 2021, but here we have it. Having roots as far back as the late ‘80s, the U.S. Illinois group still didn’t even make any noise leading up to this album’s release. The Misery Season is the only record I could unearth, but thankfully it’s pretty serviceable.

Considering the technology of the time and the band’s small following, it’s pretty amazing how well The Misery Season comes through in terms of production. You could potentially date this, as much of the riffing borrows influence from the “groove” acts that dominated the ‘90s, fitting in with the likes of Divine Empire. Admittedly, the vocals can be a bit too throaty at times, also a common feature of this time period, but the lead guitar chops make it forgivable. Plus, there’s a very heavy bottom full of audible and compelling basslines to help cushion this.

From time to time, this can definitely drag a little more than needed in the longer tunes. “Confinement” really had no business utilizing the repetition in the beginning that it did, but thankfully once it gets going, things fold into a nice doomy rhythm. I’m not sure that I’d go as far as labeling Funereal with the doom/death tag, but the nods toward that direction are very clear. I personally prefer the tracks that follow a recognizable direct path, though. “Darkness Arise” has some tasty rhythms for sure, and I can’t overlook the neat chops in closer “Life Of Anguished.” Perhaps this isn’t anything too mind blowing, but if nothing else I can see it being a slight step towards the harcore-induced death metal that would blow up within a decade or so.

Originally written for ToothAndNailed95.blogspot.com

The official recorded history of the band known as Funereal is misleading, These guys were not a short-lived, straight-to-album death/doom act from the early 2000s. In fact, they were an early 1990s death metal band who recorded one album ("The Misery Season") in 1994, following two demos and a self-released EP. All of the band’s previous material was released under the name of Contagion. This Funereal album was not released until 2000, when the band was defunct. The liner notes explain that the band’s original label arrangement collapsed. They subsequently folded, presumably in 1995, and two members joined Cianide.

This record is excellent, if not exceptional, old school death metal. It is far too good to have languished in limbo. Funereal’s approach is more challenging and atmospheric than most of their Midwestern death metal peers (such as Broken Hope and the aforementioned Cianide). They were technical without ever sounding like a 'tech' band. They were atmospheric without relying on spooky gimmicks. The album reminds me of the earliest records by Morbid Angel, Immolation, Incantation and Deicide. There is a slight Scandinavian tinge too, Funebre would be a good comparison point. Imagine the middle ground between "Children of the Scorn", “Onward to Golgotha” and "Here in After". It sounds like that.

The musicianship is tight. The production is clear and taut, not bassy. The heaviness is created from the transitions into mid-tempo riffs, rather than by the production. The song-structures are labyrinthine enough to keep the listener guessing but they never descend into riff-salad. The drumming of Andy Kuizin is excellent. He rolls plenty of double-bass drumming under the mid-paced and semi-fast riffs. The vibe aligns with the darker, supernatural side of death metal (such as Immolation), rather than the gore/zombies/brutal themes. However, some songs show a clear Autopsy influence and a slight death/doom sound (e.g., "Eternal" and "Seclusion"). The latter song, along with "Confinement", originally appeared on the second Contagion demo.

"The Misery Season" shows that Contagion/Funereal were one of the more interesting and promising obscurities from the early 90s Midwestern death metal scene. The album has aged well. It sounds fresher than the legions of Incantation clones that have flooded the scene since its (official) release. The only flaw is the lack of instant memorability, but the same could be said of “Onward to Golgotha”. Personally, I don't think Funereal matched the primordial death/doom violence of the second Contagion demo. That demo is the band's defining moment, but I admire their decision to move beyond the quagmire sound and into pastures new. This is a fine old school death metal album and you need to hear it.