Funeral Doom is an acquired taste. Its ultra-slow pace makes it inaccessible to many fans, for its emphasis is not on melody, instrumental virtuosity, nor rhythm. Rather, it prizes atmosphere, and it demands submission into a mood that appeals only to a niche audience.

Nothing on this sophomore release from ABSTRACT SPIRIT will bring new listeners into the fold, for it adheres to all of the conventions of the genre. “Tragedy And Weeds” will, however, generate true excitement among existing fans, as it offers a fresh interpretation of these conventions while still delivering the atmosphere that the form demands.

This album comes across as a single, epic-length dirge. While many other works could be similarly described, this album conjures a mood that truly is, well, funereal. Instrumental in this (no pun intended) is the frequent use of a solitary horn to move the melody along. This is not a crisp, brassy, Baroque sound at work here, but is rather of a more muddled timbre, resembling that of a trombone in the hands of a novice. To these American ears, this sound conjures images of a New Orleans funeral dirge, one during which a Jazz band proceeds slowly down a grimy street, playing a somber tune as a casket is borne along on the shoulders of mourners toward its final resting place in an old graveyard. (For those unfamiliar with the practice, once the casket has been interred, the same musicians parade back whence they came, playing a lively Dixie tune in celebration of the life led by the recently departed. But I digress…)

The overall sound on this album is full-bodied, and the band eschews that more spartan approach of some (though certainly not all) practitioners of Funeral Doom. Not so much a wall of sound, the music envelops the listener, suffocating him in a sonic blanket. This enclosure adds to the despondency that already exists here. This is not the sound of despair; this is the sound that creates despair.

It is somewhat ridiculous to assert that Funeral Doom can bring joy to its listeners, since that would be the antithesis of the genre itself. However, that a band has innovated so much within a genre with such strict conventions is cause for delight. “Tragedy And Weeds” pushes the genre forward while still working completely within its confines. ABSTRACT SPIRIT have achieved something remarkable with this.

Author: Steve

Funeral doom has sort of found itself in a bit of rut over the last few years, and for the main part it’s pretty hard to find any project that’s kicked off since about 2006/2007 which has really impressed. Sure, of the hundreds of bands popping up, most are pretty easy on the ears and don’t make bad music, but most of them are pretty by the numbers, giving off nothing more than an easy approximation of main concepts of the genre, but not ever touching the haunting elements. They don’t seem to be able to make the same atmosphere of the pioneers. Luckily, Abstract Spirit get it. This is slow, mournful, and yeah, pretty melodic, but this isn’t a half assed cobbling of drones and keyboard melodies, this is crafted to be as ethereal and misty as possible, the band just get it. The closest approximations in sound would Skepticism with a taste for Ea-like melody, but this is well composed, thought out, atmospheric music. It never feels lost or bored, this is a tight project.

Like a lot of these more melodic takes on the style, this is a little bit quicker than the genre usually permits, but the band really nails the funeral mood and performs it well. This isn’t melodic by way of lead guitars or dominant keys, the way the music itself moves is smooth and constant, rather then chunky or plodding, the pacing is simply perfectly reminiscent of a slow procession and it works perfectly.

The band doesn’t really try anything out of the ordinary, this is slow midpaced guitars playing simple, crawling riffs, epic floating keyboards guiding the music in a more atmospheric direction, lethargic drums, and deep, cavernous vocals echoing throughout and not a whole lot else. The brilliant simply lies in the execution, as I’ve already mentioned, this album gets the funeral atmosphere better than anything I’ve heard in 3 years, but it’s also got a sense of purpose and goal. The music isn’t stagnant, it’s always crawling forward, and with this it manages to be an equal to Ahab or Monolithe in terms of being exciting and interesting, without ever really shifting away from the basic tenants of the style.

The sound here is pretty much flawless, the rhythm guitars are low, distorted and completely uncompromising, the lead guitars are clean and beautiful, but not so clean to take away from the sinister side of the band. Along with this the keys are used in a symphonic and grand manner, not unlike Shape of Despair in approach, but more restrained and willing to take a back seat to the doom. The drums are full and powerful helping the band carry on thier mournful march, and the various growls are as bottomed out and gurgled enough to become a part of the bleak sound scape, while not fading into the background or missing out on any feeling of power. There is no awkward feedback or problems with tone, the production job is utterly perfect.

Negative wise, I can only think of the one, which happens to be the one area where they’ve tried to be out and out unique, weird brass/horn samples. I guess they were trying to follow in the footsteps of the Finnish doom masters and were trying add in some kind of weird instrument like Skepticism’s trademarked hammond organ, but the horns sound really out of place and ridiculous. This is most noticeable during the middle of “Crucifixion without Regret”, but they pop up in a few sounds and they’re pretty goofy at the best of times. Other than that I guess you could complain about a lack of out and out originality, but honestly when the execution is this good it doesn’t matter.

Tragedy and Weeds is a late kick for a style on a downward path, and deserves a lot more praise than many other popular albums around right now. It’s nothing new, but it’s the general mood and atmosphere which makes this album stand out, rather than any new ideas. Anybody who hasn’t completely given up on the genre should definitely give this a spin, and even if you have, it’s worth a try.

Author: lord_ghengis

Antes de qualquer coisa, se tu és daqueles que somente ouve bandas extremas e rápidas, Thrash Metal, Hard Rock e com alguma velocidade então nem se atreva a ouvir esta banda russa. Pois o que temos para ouvir durante uma hora e oito minutos divididos entre as seis musicas do track list é um Funeral Doom Metal de primeira grandeza. Portanto se você não está acostumado ou não sabe apreciar esta vertente do Doom Metal nem ouse conhecer esta excelente banda. O álbum em análise aqui é o segundo de sua carreira, o anterior é o “Liquid Dimensions Change” de 2008.

Um fato que me chamou a atenção ao ouvir este novo álbum foi perceber que a banda manteve intacta toda sua soturna sonoridade, com uma velocidade bem lenta e que denuncia o estilo praticado. As suas musicas são densas e irradia uma tenebrosa e fúnebre melancolia, a arte do encarte retrata bem isto com fotos dos membros dentro de um necrotério e um caixão bem destacado. Eu destacaria entre as seis musicas do seu track list a terceira. “Crucifixion whithou Regret”, pois tem todos os elementos supracitados e por ter instrumentos de sopro sutilmente encaixados em toda esta morbidez. Altamente recomendável, merece ser (re)conhecida!!

Author: Jaime Amorim

Nimen keksiminen bändille on tänä päivänä helvetillinen urakka, ainakin jos ei halua rykäistä kasaan ties mitä Anal Vomitia. Koska venäläisen Abstract Spiritin kohdalla kyse on enemmänkin henkisen kuin fyysisen tasapainon järkyttämisestä, kuulostaa nimi periaatteessa sopivalta. Mutta toisaalta: mikä olisi sitten concrete spirit? Entäs tuo levyn nimi sitten? Tragediaa ja ruohoja, vaiko kenties murhenäytelmää ja kannabista? Listaa voitaisiin jatkaa ainakin Crucifixion Without Regret -biisin (“voi ei, mitä mä nyt menin sen tyypin ristiinnaulitsemaan”) ja edellislevyn Liquid Dimensions Change -tittelin (siis, häh?) verran, mutta se ei liene enää tarpeellista.

Abstract Spiritin äidinkieli ei ole englanti, eivätkä sen esittämän musiikinkaan juuret liiemmin ole venäläisiä. Pikemminkin kyse on jatkumosta, joka palautuu esimerkiksi Shape of Despairin kautta aina Thergothoniin ja Skepticismiin saakka. Tarjolla on siis sydämen vajaatoimintaa vastaavia tempolukemia, kuolonkankeita kitarariffejä, karun melodisia liidejä, synkeää syntikkamattoa sekä pikemminkin korahtelevaa kuin koreilevaa örinää.

Levyn biiseistä tasapainoisimpia ovat mielestäni kieltämättä nimensä veroinen masentava tanssikappale Funeral Waltz sekä muita biisejä melodisempi ja sävykkäämpi, hieman 90-luvun alkupuolen brittidoomailun puolelle kallistuva Sepulchral Winter. Wrapped in Solituden äärimmäisen väsyneet demppausriffit ja heikot kitaraliidit saavat biisin puolestaan kuulostamaan tylsän ohuelta, kun taas Face the Nightmaressa bändi yrittää hetkittäin gootahtavalla piano-outoilulla repiä pesäeroa levyn muihin kappaleisiin – laihoin tuloksin, voin sanoa. Kokonaisuudessaan levyn tarjonta onkin tyylilajissaan tavanomaista mutta ei myöskään täysin toivotonta.

Author: Antti Korpinen

The new album however “Tragedy And Weeds” shows some real progression and a change into more high quality production and more focused song construction. The material is still total Funeral Doom but sounds more mature and the songs sound more well thought out and arranged. Like “Liquid Dimensions Change”, there is another 6 songs of depressive melodies, bleak atmosphere all played slow with the guttural growling vocals still there in check. They use the sound of sound of wind instruments to create a even more “Funeral Like Feeling” and while the style hasn’t changed much, there is certainly more to this album compared with their previous effort. This music often promotes feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness which is the whole point behind “Funeral Doom” and this band creates the mood for those emotions very well indeed. No track stands out anymore than any other, they all reek of the same sounds and quality but “Tragedy And Weeds” beats “”Liquid Dimensions Change” hands down in my opinion. Perfect music for your next day of heavy rain and howling winds.

Rumour has it that not only do they share members with Comatose Vigil, they are also responsible for the ultra-mysterious “American” unit Ea. True or not, it’s not hard to see why this rumour would emerge, as all three perform a similar brand of monolithic, simplistic yet highly effective funeral doom. There are differences between the bands — for example, Ea is more grandiose and epic — but their similarities outweigh the differences by a considerable margin. Abstract Spirit ploughs the same furrow as their debut, with heavy, lumbering riffs, elementary song structures, guttural growls and mainly background keys upping the oppressive and claustrophobic feel. The song writing is a bit more focused, the sound is a tad better, but no seismic shifts, nothing beyond the level of tweaking and touching up. If you have heard any of the aforementioned bands, you know what to expect, and if you enjoyed any of them, this is unlikely to disappoint.

Author: Quentin Kalis

Immaginatevi un cimitero. Le lapidi, le croci, le statue, i loculi, i vialetti puliti e le aiuole ben tagliate. Il silenzio, il cinguettare degli uccelli, l’odore intenso dei fiori freschi. Nonostante la malinconia tipica di questi luoghi, ed il sussurrare delle poche persone chinate davanti a qualche tomba, и piщ che altro una sensazione di pace quella che viene evocata dalla nostra immaginazione. Una pace mesta, questo sм. Perт и pur sempre una sensazione di tranquillitа, di raccoglimento che conduce ad una riflessione sui sensi della vita e della morte. Proviamo ora ad immaginare se ogni tomba, ogni lapide, ogni loculo, ogni persona inginocchiata davanti alla tomba di un suo caro, potessero urlare tutto il loro dolore. Immaginiamo che il dolore di ogni ultima agonia rimanesse cristallizzato per sempre, ed ogni anima potesse urlare tutta la sua disperazione. Raffiguriamoci mentalmente le statue di santi e di angeli che, presa vita, non potessero muoversi e, imprigionate nei loro corpi di pietra, cominciassero a lanciare lamenti lancinanti. E le anime di tutti i morti prematuri, delle vittima di violenza, dei suicidi, piangessero senza sosta la loro afflizione, per una vita che и fuggita troppo presto o che non le ha mai amate. Se immaginassimo uno scenario del genere, le urla ed i pianti sarebbero insopportabili, le nostre orecchie non riuscirebbero a tollerarli, i nostri cuori scoppierebbero dall’angoscia.
Ecco, questo и proprio lo scenario evocato dalla musica degli Abstract Spirit, nel loro album “Tragedy And Weeds”. Uno scenario duro, privo di qualunque speranza. Anche la grafica del CD и sintomatica. Abbandonati i contorni spettrali delle fotografie del loro disco d’esordio, “Liquid Dimensions Change”, ora i musicisti si presentano vestiti da becchini, in piedi vicino a delle bare. Nulla di piщ tangibile e reale. Cosм come il bassorilievo di una persona deceduta, che decora la copertina di “Tragedy And Weeds”. Il secondo full-length dei russi и un monumento alla morte, anzi, all’ossessione della morte che da sempre accompagna A.K. iEzor (voce, batteria), M. Hater (chitarra, basso, cori) e I. Stellarghost (tastiere, cori).
“Tragedy And Weeds” и stato registrato nello studio Primordial, che aveva giа garantito ottimi risultati nell’album precedente (la cui recensione puт essere trovata negli archivi di Shapeless Zine). Il disco contiene sei canzoni, per un totale di 68 minuti di musica: va da sи che i minutaggi siano molto consistenti, ed и naturale che sia cosм visto che il gruppo suona funeral doom. Un funeral doom particolare, fedele sм ai dettami del genere, ma potente, energico, “urlato” appunto. Le caratteristiche stilistiche giа ben evidenti in “Liquid Dimensions Change” vengono riproposte anche in questo secondo lavoro, ma in maniera piщ matura. O meglio, piщ efficace. Questo perchи, a paritа di valore, le canzoni di “Tragedy And Weeds” sono piщ belle rispetto a quello del debut-album. Forse и solo una questione di gusti, ma nel suo complesso “Tragedy And Weeds” mostra pochissimi punti deboli. E’ un disco di una potenza immensa, che avanza schiacciando tutto ciт che trova davanti a sи, col suo incedere pachidermico e monumentale. Il gutturale sepolcrale di A.K. iEzor ci aiuta un po’ a districarci tra le spire degli arrangiamenti soffocanti, resi eccessivi dalle tastiere decadenti ed chiassose di Stellarghost. Proprio la tastiera contribuisce a rendere cosм interessanti le sonoritа degli Abstract Spirit: e questa volta la tastierista ha optato per arrangiamenti stratificati, e per l’utilizzo costante di suoni che si rifanno agli ottoni. E’ come se una banda di folli accompagnasse un funerale sgangherato, da incubo. Chitarre e basso svolgono invece un lavoro nella norma, dando vita a riff eterni ed a successioni armoniche infinite. Inoltre, dove le tastiere sperimentano, gli strumenti a corda frenano, riportando tutto alla tradizione di questo genere affascinante e di nicchia.
Giа in passato, gli Abstract Spirit si erano fatti notare per alcune atmosfere raggelanti, quasi orrorifiche. L’esempio piщ fulgido di questo и la canzone che dа il titolo all’album. Semplicemente, un capolavoro. Ritengo che sia la canzone piщ inquietante che gli Abstract Spirit abbiano mai composoto, ed una delle piщ sinistre in assoluto, in ambito funeral doom. Questa canzone, da sola, vale l’acquisto dell’album. E si conclude con alcuni dei versi piщ intensi scritti dal gruppo russo: “Epitaffi come segreti traditi / Su monumenti di compassione / Cercano assurdamente di descrivere il dolore / nel quale camminano gli echi del passato…”.
“Funeral Waltz” и probabilmente il brano piщ debole dell’intero CD, non per difetti particolari, ma proprio perchи non eccelle come le altre composizioni. Rispettando il titolo, и un 3/4 lentissimo e particolare, che sembra non finire mai, e nel quale ritorna con insistenza la melodia semplice e disperata intonata dagli ottoni.
“Crucifixion Without Regret” e “Face The Nightmare” sono altre due canzoni di alto livello, con la seconda superiore alla prima. Si tratta di due viaggi negli incubi piщ disperati, ed il trio russo si dimostra maestro nell’essere atmosferico senza perт rinunciare alla potenza.
“Wrapped In Solitude” и un altro capolavoro, nel quale l’originalitа del songwriting non puт che mettere a tacere tutti i detrattori del genere. C’и troppo fascino in queste successioni armoniche, in questi arrangiamenti, negli incroci vocali, per non restarne stregati.
“Sepulchral Winter” и una traccia conclusiva relativamente semplice, che ci dа l’addio in un modo piщ consono ai canoni del genere.
“Liquid Dimensions Change” ci aveva presentato un gruppo di valore, ricco di potenziale e dalle buone idee. “Tragedy And Weeds” non solo conferma tutto questo, ma lo porta ad un livello superiore. Forse gli Abstract Spirit non sono ancora perfetti, ma hanno un talento davvero immenso. Penso che sia stato uno dei pochi gruppi di questo genere, capace di farmi interrompere l’ascolto del CD per riascolare immediatamente un brano. In genere, i lavori funeral doom funzionano piщ come sinfonie a piщ movimenti che come dischi di canzoni singole. Eppure, le composizioni di questo trio hanno un fascino ed una bellezza tali da non poter lasciare indifferenti gli estimatori del genere. La loro abilitа nel creare atmosfere da incubo, e di incastonarle in monumenti severi di funeral doom, и un qualcosa di incredibile. Dovrebbero trovare forse un po’ piщ di continuitа, ma se continueranno lungo la strada intrapresa, il loro album definitivo non tarderа ad arrivare. Sosteniamo questa grandiosa band, che non poteva che essere accasata presso un’etichetta altrettanto grandiosa, quale la Solitude.

Author: Hellvis

I am man enough to admit defeat. I tried to give Abstract Spirit’s Tragedy and Weeds a fair shake, but it proved too much for me. During my first listen to the album I fell asleep less than halfway through, although, in Abstract Spirit’s defense, it was bedtime. Attempt number two suffered a similar fate. For my third attempt I started the album halfway through, in hopes of making it to the end. After the longest half-hour lunch break of my life, the closing strains of “Sepulchral Winter” finally hit my ears. In the past few days I have contemplated giving Tragedy and Weeds another listen, as I generally like to give a record, at the very least, three full listens before I attempt to write about it. However, the prospect of another spin of this album filled me with such a sense of dread that I threw in the proverbial towel. Life is too short and this record is too damn long.

On paper Abstract Spirit’s style of funeral doom would be, if not up my particular alley, up one nearby. I am not ordinarily one to shrink at the prospect of long, slow and heavy: I spin Sleep’s Dopesmoker with some regularity; I count Winter’s Into Darkness among my personal favorites; I have even listened to Warning’s Watching from a Distance without slitting my wrists. (It was a near thing, though.) Tragedy and Weeds, however, has proven too minimalist, even for me. The album consists of six tracks, the briefest of which is over nine minutes long. There is little to differentiate one bloated song from the next; the music consists entirely of slow trudging chords that fail to rise to the level of anything recognizable as a riff, over which keyboards and synthesized horns sketch skeletal melodies, while deep growls drone out indecipherable lyrics. There are of course moments where some semblance of a tune emerges, but they are few and fleeting, and I will be damned if I am going to plow through this record again to pinpoint them. You will just have to take my word for it. The lone standout track is “Sepulchral Winter” which is born aloft by denser orchestration and some elegant, piano melodies, creating an atmosphere both melancholy and majestic. But even that bit of tunefulness only lasts until the vocals enter.

The shame of it all is that Tragedy and Weeds is probably an artistic triumph for Abstract Spirit. This sprawling opus is likely the product of countless hours of painstaking recording. I suspect that the band agonized over the placement of each and every dolorous chord and mournful note. Unfortunately, I just don’t give a shit. One more listen to Tragedy and Weeds and the funeral in this funeral doom would be mine.

Author: Jeremy Morse

Attention, âmes sensibles, s’abstenir !! On pénètre dans un monde musical et artistique qui ne fait pas de concessions, un monde dans lequel toute mon expérience dans le Funeral Doom est nécessaire.

Le Doom Funéraire n’a jamais aussi bien porté son nom avec Abstract Spirit. Un mot pour qualifier l’artwork : mortuaire. Les photos des trois protagonistes autour de cercueils, des photos d’enterrements, l’odeur de la mort nous entoure et l’appréhension me gagne…

La musique commence, la guitare claire pose le décor avec des accords assez dissonants, le clavier vient accentuer le sentiment de mal être qui s’empare de moi. On est loin des mélodies conventionnelles, chaque note est une surprise, chaque choix est périlleux, mais qu’est ce que c’est bon !! Je me retrouve face à un véritable mur de guitares saturées, la voix féminine me glace le sang et la voix gutturale est abyssale.

Le clavier apporte une véritable dimension à la musique d’Abstract Spirit, une dimension oppressante. Les passages atmosphériques sont très rares et très courts, peu de temps pour reprendre sa respiration, on est vite asphyxié !! Chaque chanson a sa petite originalité : des sons de cuivres au milieu de Funeral Watz, des sons d’orgues dans Crucifixion Without Regret, du vent dans Sepulchral Winter. C’est extrêmement bien pensé et j’irais même jusqu’à dire que c’est vicieux car malgré une musique difficile à aborder, on adhère complètement !

On finit épuisé à l’écoute de Sepulchral Winter qui est pour moi le meilleur morceau : le groupe laisse les instruments s’exprimer, l’ambiance est exceptionnelle, le mal être est toujours aussi présent. La mélodie entêtante pénètre notre cerveau pour ne jamais en ressortir. On devient vite accro à cette atmosphère lugubre, incroyablement sombre et perverse.

Je n’en dirai pas plus pour ne pas casser la découverte, car pour moi, Abstract Spirit est une véritable surprise. Comme dit précédemment, les novices se doivent de passer leur chemin car Abstract Spirit demande une grande maîtrise de la musique funéraire. Je recommande donc cet album aux personnes expérimentées car l’aventure proposée par ce groupe est tout simplement unique !

Author: dark.pimousse, aujourd’hui

Tragedy and Weeds is a doom metal album that reminds mostly of Shape of Despair… something in the tempo, use of melodic accents, and the vocal style and how it’s implemented. However, Russian Abstract Spirit is a substantially more retarded — and also in this case, lesser — version of the essential Finnish doom unit… but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to Tragedy and Weeds.

Tragedy and Weeds is a long album, with lots of material, whose intricacies will reveal themselves with repeated listens… the only issue in question is whether the album is quite good enough to warrant taking time out from listening to a lot of other music to really get into what’s going on during Tragedy and Weeds.

For example, the way the record winds down in a way that makes it sound like a stereo running out of batteries is interesting. Abstract Spirit also likes to use a lot of “horns,” which can sound like the theme to a Mafia funeral procession in which everyone is drunk, makes for some amusing remarkability.

But on the flip side, there’s something about the production that, while well done and heavy, doesn’t invite the listener to turn up and enjoy at louder volumes. Still, if you’re a big fan of Shape of Despair, and could stand to have more of that kind of thing, albeit a 2nd rate version of it, Tragedy and Weeds is recommended.

Author: Roberto Martinelli