View source for Funeral doom

{{Short description|Extreme genre of music}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Funeral doom
| stylistic_origins = {{flatlist|
* [[Death-doom]]
* [[Dirge|dirge music]]
}}
|cultural_origins  = Mid-1990s, [[Finland]]
|instruments       = {{hlist|[[Electric guitar]]|[[bass guitar]]|[[Electronic keyboard]]|[[Drum kit|drums]]|[[Singing|vocals]]}}
|derivatives       = 
|subgenrelist      =
|subgenres         = 
|fusiongenres      = 
|regional_scenes   =
* [[Finland]]
* [[Russia]]
|local_scenes      = 
|other_topics      = 
* [[Death metal]]
* [[Doom metal]]
}}

'''Funeral doom''' is a subgenre of [[death-doom]] with heavy influence from [[Dirge|funeral dirge music]].<ref name="Dirge">{{cite news |author=Davis, Cody |title=Funeral Doom Friday: FUNERAL MOURNING's Blackened, Deadly Inertia of Dissonance (A Sermon in Finality) |url=http://www.metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/funeral-mournings-blackened-deadly-inertia-of-dissonance-a-sermon-in-finality |work=Metal Injection |access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> Low-[[Guitar tunings|tuned]] [[Electric guitar|guitars]], [[death growls]], instruments that emulate [[pipe organ]] sounds and ponderous pace are typical traits of this style.

==History==
An offshoot of [[death-doom]], the genre was mostly inspired by the work of [[Autopsy (band)|Autopsy]], [[Winter (metal band)|Winter]], [[Cathedral (band)|Cathedral]] and early [[Paradise Lost (band)|Paradise Lost]]. Funeral doom truly came into being in the mid-1990s.<ref name="H2006A44">Hinchliffe 2006a, p. 44.</ref><ref name="WW-D">{{cite web|url=http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-ii-matt-skarajew-of.html|title=EXTREME DOOM PART II: Matt Skarajew of Disembowelment/Dusk|last=Bickle|first=Travis|date=27 July 2011|publisher=We Wither|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref><ref name="QueensofSteel">{{cite web|url=http://www.queensofsteel.com/2006/11/esoteric-eng|title=ESOTERIC (Eng.)|last=Fernández|first=Sergio|date=14 November 2006|publisher=Queens of Steel|access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref><ref name="NH">{{cite web|url=https://nihilistic-webzine-distro.fr/Interviews/evoken.htm|title=EVOKEN Interview - Funeral doom from the pits of darkness|author= Silenius & Gam|date=19 December 2004|publisher=NIHILISTIC HOLOCAUST - Underground Death metal webzine!|access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref> The genre was birthed out of Finland;<ref name="Bandcamp">{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/a-guide-to-the-glorious-miserable-world-of-funeral-doom|title=A Guide To The Glorious, Miserable World Of Funeral Doom|last=Lawrence|first=Dan|date=31 October 2018|publisher=Bandcamp Daily|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref><ref name="WW-T">{{cite web|url=http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-iii-niko-skorpio-of.html|title=EXTREME DOOM PART III: Niko Skorpio of Thergothon|last=Bickle|first=Travis|date=29 July 2011|publisher=We Wither|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref><ref name="Funeral">{{cite web|url=http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/interview.php?interview_id=145|title=Funeral interview (11/2005)|author= KwonVerge|date=7 November 2005|publisher=[[Metal Storm (webzine)|Metal Storm]]|access-date=2020-03-29}}</ref>  [[Thergothon]] and [[Skepticism (band)|Skepticism]] are commonly cited as the earliest two bands in the style, as well as [[Unholy (band)|Unholy]].<ref name="H2006A44" /><ref name="Bandcamp" /><ref name="T200655">Tracey 2006, p. 55.</ref><ref name="H2006B54">Hinchliffe 2006b, p. 54.</ref><ref name="Decibel5">{{cite web|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2012/12/31/top-5-funeral-doom-songs|title=Top 5 Funeral Doom Songs|last=Dick|first=Chris|date=31 December 2012|publisher=[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel Magazine]]|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref><ref name="ME-T">{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/funeral-doom-friday-celebrating-25-years-of-funeral-doom-with-thergothons-fhtagn-nagh-yog-psothoth|title=Funeral Doom Friday: Celebrating 25 Years of Funeral Doom with THERGOTHON's ''Fhtagn-nagh Yog-Psothoth''|last=Davis|first=Cody|date=4 November 2016|publisher=Metal Injection|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref><ref>Minton, Kelly & Selby 2009, p. 56.</ref><ref name="Band2">{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/doom-metal-a-brief-timeline|title=Doom Metal: A Brief Timeline|last=Wiederhorn |first=Jon|date=2 February 2017|publisher=Bandcamp Daily|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref> Outside [[Scandinavia]], the lines between death-doom and funeral doom pioneers were less clear cut. [[Disembowelment (band)|diSEMBOWELMENT]], from Australia, [[Birmingham]]-based [[Esoteric (band)|Esoteric]], and American act [[Evoken]] are examples.<ref name="H2006A44" /><ref name="WW-D" /><ref name="WW-E">{{cite web|url=http://www.wewither.com/2011/07/extreme-doom-part-i-john-paradiso-of.html|title=EXTREME DOOM PART I: John Paradiso of Evoken|last=Bickle|first=Travis|date=25 July 2011|publisher=We Wither|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref><ref name="ME-DE">{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/disembowelments-genre-defining-classic-transcendence-into-the-peripheral|title=Funeral Doom Friday: DISEMBOWELMENT's Genre-Defining Classic, ''Transcendence Into the Peripheral''|last=Davis|first=Cody|date=3 November 2017|publisher=Metal Injection|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref><ref name="Kelly">{{cite news | url = http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2012/04/an_interview_wi_66.html#more|title =An Interview with Inverloch (Mems Disembowelment), Who Are Welcoming ''Dusk...Subside'' EP|last =Kelly|first =Kim |work =Brooklyn Vegan|publisher = |date = 3 April 2012|access-date = 26 September 2012}}</ref><ref name="ME-Ep">{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/esoteric-and-their-brilliant-debut-epistemological-despondency|title=Funeral Doom Friday: ESOTERIC and Their Brilliant Debut, ''Epistemological Despondency''|last=Davis|first=Cody|date=29 April 2018|publisher=Metal Injection|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>

With the turn of the millennium came releases of newer bands, such as [[Shape of Despair]], [[Mournful Congregation]], the "Nautik Doom" group [[Ahab (band)|Ahab]] and one-man-projects [[Nortt]] and Doom:VS.<ref name="T200655" /><ref name="Bloodaxe">{{cite web |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20121126213400/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/122322/20121127-0834/www.voltagemedia.com.au/news/2011/07/27/mournful-congregation-unspoken-hymns.html |url=http://www.voltagemedia.com.au/news/2011/07/27/mournful-congregation-unspoken-hymns.html |title=Mournful Congregation – ''The Unspoken Hymns'' |last=Bloodaxe |first=Mathias |work=VoltageMedia |archive-date=26 November 2012 |date=27 July 2011 |access-date=24 August 2017}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref name="ME-A">{{cite web|url=https://metalinjection.net/av/funeral-doom-friday/ahab-call-wretched-sea|title=Funeral Doom Friday: Remembering AHAB's ''The Call of the Wretched Sea''|last=Davis|first=Cody|date=29 June 2018|publisher=Metal Injection|access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref> Funeral doom scenes cropped up over the world, such as the one in Russia.<ref name="ViceR">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/a-light-hearted-chat-with-siberian-funeral-band-station-dysthymia/|title=A Light-Hearted Chat with Siberian Funeral Band Station Dysthymia|last=Kelly|first=Kim|date=13 September 2013|publisher=[[Vice Media|Vice]]|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref> The Solitude Productions label, for example, became a major force in shaping its future.<ref name="DM-SP">{{cite web|url=https://www.doom-metal.com/interviews.php?entry=1263|title=Interview with Solitude Productions|last=Doom-metal.com|date=16 July 2015|publisher=Doom-metal.com|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> Like no metal subgenre before it, the [[internet boom]] greatly helped funeral doom reach new fans.<ref name="T200655" /> By the 2010s, funeral doom reached into metal's mainstream.<ref name="Kerrang!">{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-news/exclusive-premiere-evoken-stream-their-new-album-hypnagogia|title=EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE: EVOKEN STREAM THEIR NEW ALBUM, HYPNAGOGIA|last=Goldsmith|first=Zachary|date=8 November 2018|publisher=[[Kerrang!]]|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref>

Another sign of funeral doom's increasing status was [[Peaceville]]'s move to buy the rights of [[Avantgarde Music]]'s back catalogue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://avantgardemusic.com/contact-us|title=Mission|publisher=[[Avantgarde Music]]|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref> Responsible for launching the careers of Autopsy, Paradise Lost, [[My Dying Bride]] and [[Anathema (band)|Anathema]], Peaceville was the major player in shaping what became known as death-doom.<ref name="Peaceville">{{cite web|url=http://www.doom-metal.com/interviews.php?entry=1584|title=Interview with Peaceville Records (Label)|last=Evdokimov|first=Aleks|date=9 July 2018|publisher=Doom-metal.com|access-date=2020-04-06}}</ref> This now meant that Peaceville had a significant stake in funeral doom's history: it owned all of Thergothon's and Unholy's discography, along with two Evoken albums.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Thergothon-Stream-From-The-Heavens/release/3331579|title=Thergothon – Stream From The Heavens (2009, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Unholy-From-The-Shadows/release/2758016|title=Unholy – From The Shadows (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Unholy-The-Second-Ring-Of-Power/release/3211403|title=Unholy – The Second Ring Of Power (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Unholy-Rapture/release/2989506|title=Unholy – Rapture (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Unholy-Gracefallen/release/2767185|title=Unholy – Gracefallen (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Evoken-Quietus/release/2809006|title=Evoken – Quietus (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/Evoken-Antithesis-Of-Light/release/3039960|title=Evoken – Antithesis Of Light (2011, CD)|publisher=[[Discogs]]|access-date=2020-04-05}}</ref>

Although it has a substantial following, funeral doom has also its share of criticism. ''[[Chronicles of Chaos (webzine)|Chronicles of Chaos]]'' co-editor Pedro Azevedo argued that, to the average listener, funeral doom might sound "boring and repetitive".<ref name="CoC" /> Ciarán Tracey, in an article for ''[[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]'', acknowledged that the increasing popularity of funeral doom also meant that it now had its "share of hangers-on and can act as a repository for pseudo-literary teen poetry and artless abstraction, so a certain critical scrutiny has become necessary."<ref name="T200655" />

==Characteristics==
===Instrumentation and vocals===
Most funeral doom songs are played at very slow tempos. Coc's Azevedo described funeral doom's core sound as a mix of "[[Guitar tunings|downtuned guitars]], ponderous drumming, church organs and cavernous [[death growls|death vox]]" done at an "extremely slow" pace. Though it kept [[death metal]]'s low-tuning and death growls, funeral doom eschewed most of its complex song structures and rapid tempo changes in a favor of a minimalist approach and slower tempos. Depending on the band, it keeps some genre-specific characteristics of death-doom, such as violins and female vocals.<ref name="CoC">{{cite web|url=http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/articles.aspx?id=6-674|title=Doom Metal: The Gentle Art of Making Misery|last=Azevedo|first=Pedro|date=19 November 2004|publisher=Chronicles of Chaos|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> Some background elements - [[church bell]]s, [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]] or [[synthesizer]]s - are many a time part of funeral doom's overall sound, adding a "dreamlike" quality to what is often described as a heavy and burdensome atmosphere.<ref name=AE>Ebner 2010, p. 28.</ref>

===Lyrics===
Thematically, funeral doom avoided the "Peaceville Three"'s gothic sensibilities in favor of a more nihilistic world view, evoking a sense of emptiness and despair. [[Thanatology]] topics such as grief, loss and suicide are central to the style.<ref name="Band2"/><ref name="CoC" /><ref name=AE /><ref name="PT">{{cite web|url=https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2012/07/23/the-myth-of-the-peaceville-three|title=The Myth of the Peaceville Three|last=Dick|first=Chris|date=23 July 2012|publisher=[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> Apart from that, thematic content varies widely. Thergothon's lyrics were inspired by [[H. P. Lovecraft]]'s [[Cthulhu Mythos]].<ref name="WW-T"/> Ahab notoriously wrote whole [[concept album]]s based on [[Herman Melville]]'s classic ''[[Moby Dick]]''.<ref name="ME-A"/> In turn, Esoteric experimented with a variety of [[psychotropic substance]]s - [[LSD]], [[magic mushrooms]] and [[cannabis]] - to explore the obscure recesses of the [[unconscious mind]]. Their dark take on [[psychedelia]] inspires music and words that resemble a soundtrack to a "[[bad trip]]".<ref name="BM-E">{{cite web|url=https://www.bardomethodology.com/articles/2017/03/22/esoteric-interview|title=Esoteric interview|last=Göransson|first=Niklas|date=3 March 2017|publisher=Bardo Methodology|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Funeral doom's name has two distinct genealogies. One source claimed it was a namesake of Norway's death-doom outfit [[Funeral (band)|Funeral]].<ref name="DM-F">{{cite web|url=https://www.doom-metal.com/interviews.php?entry=1566|title=Interview with Funeral|last=Evdokimov|first=Aleks|date=22 April 2018|publisher=Doom-metal.com|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref> It might have come, too, from Skepticism's pipe organ-like keyboard [[timbre]], which reminded listeners of funeral music.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcOxHbfiqko|title=The March: Skepticism Documentary (2018)|last=Kannisto|first=Janne|date=29 April 2018|publisher=|access-date=1 April 2020|via=YouTube}}</ref> Keyboardist Eero Pöyry said that "I position myself as a church organ player in a metal band".<ref name="InvisibleOranges">{{cite web|url=http://www.invisibleoranges.com/skepticism-interview|title=The March and the Stream: Skepticism Revisits The Re-Mixed "Stormcrowfleet"|last=Rosenthal|first=Jon|date=9 October 2018|publisher=[[Invisible Oranges]]|access-date=2020-04-04}}</ref> Furthermore, Pöyry explained that, at the time,
{{cquote|Many bands were either using [keyboards] as background, almost like an effect, and others were using it like a second solo guitar, using keyboard solos and all that. Neither of those felt like ours. I kind of thought what a keyboard player in a metal band like this should be like. It should be like the organist in a church. In that lineup, the organ became much like what the second guitar would have been. The way to position it in the sound was church organ-like. Thinking through all the things you should do and not do… I started taking it in the organist direction instead of soloist direction [...]. It's pretty much a church organ setup in a metal band as well.<ref name="InvisibleOranges" />}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite thesis 
  |last=Ebner
  |first=Arne
  |date=25 July 2010
  |title=Ästhetik des Doom
  |type=Bachelor
  |institution=Macromedia University of Applied Sciences for Media and Communication – Cologne |url=http://doom.resettheworld.com/aesthetik_des_doom_arne_ebner_40mb.pdf 
  |access-date=
  |language=de
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075156/http://doom.resettheworld.com/aesthetik_des_doom_arne_ebner_40mb.pdf
  |archive-date=4 March 2016
  |url-status=dead}}
*{{cite journal
  | last = 'Harry' Hinchliffe
  | first = James 
  | title = Funeral Doom/Drone Doom: Hearse Play
  | journal = [[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]
  | volume = 143
  | issue = 
  | pages = 44–45
  | location = London
  | year = 2006
  | url =
  | issn = 
  | doi = 
  | id = 
  | access-date = }}
*{{cite journal
  | last = 'Harry' Hinchliffe
  | first = James 
  | title = Thergothon - 'Stream from the Heavens' (1993)
  | journal = [[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]
  | volume = 144
  | issue = 
  | pages = 54
  | location = London
  | year = 2006
  | url =
  | issn = 
  | doi = 
  | id = 
  | access-date = }}
*{{cite journal
  | author1 = Minton, James 
  | author2 = Kelly, Kim
  | author3 = Selby, Jenn    
  | title = Filth Parade
  | journal = [[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]
  | volume = 188
  | issue = 
  | pages = 56
  | location = London
  | year = 2009
  | url =
  | issn = 
  | doi = 
  | id = 
  | access-date = }}
*{{cite journal
  | last = Tracey
  | first = Ciarán 
  | title = Doom/Death: United In Grief
  | journal = [[Terrorizer (magazine)|Terrorizer]]
  | volume = 142
  | issue = 
  | pages = 54–55
  | location = London
  | year = 2006
  | url =
  | issn = 
  | doi = 
  | id = 
  | access-date = }}

{{Heavymetal}}
{{Extreme metal}}

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[[Category:Funeral doom musical groups]]