2011
03.30
03.30
Format: CD
Release Date: 30.03.2011
Country: Netherland, Finland
Genre: Funeral Doom
The third album of an international project consisting of musicians from Netherlands – Ben de Graaff and Finland – Markus Heinonen (Astral Sleep). Monotonous dark tracks in the vein of funeral doom metal demonstrate melodic side of the genre. The compositions are full of melodies, keyboard passages and acoustic guitar interludes make raw funeral doom metal from Night of Suicide interesting not only for adepts of rawness and desolation, but also for those who seek the beauty in music.
Tracklist:
1. My Thoughts
2. The Answer
3. Desire
4. Final Decision
Review
Cosmos Gaming
08.04.2011
Night of Suicide is a funeral doom band that was formed in 2005 as a collaboration between Ben de Graaff and Markus Heinonen, two musicians that have been active in their respective metal scenes for quite some time. While Graaf is from the Netherlands and Heinonen is from Finland, they’ve been fairly active and have released three full length albums so far. The latest, Desire, is available via Solitude Productions and while it may be a little shorter than their earlier material it still manages to have the same impact on listeners.
Funeral doom has always been a love or hate type of genre, as its extremely slow tempos and oppressive atmosphere has put it into a separate niche. Night of Suicide follows the standard formula of the genre but tends to skew more towards the melodic side, and even ups the tempo slightly during specific parts of the album. The guitar arrangements throughout Desire are surprisingly light for a band of this type, as rather than attempting to completely crush the listener with a wall of sound and atmosphere the group goes for a more subtle approach and establishes an ominous and foreboding vibe. Each of the four tracks offers something a little bit different, but the overall tone stays about the same for the entire album which makes individual songs feel connected to each other. This is definitely the type of release that is best taken in as a whole rather than on a song by song basis, and listeners that do so will be drawn in by the textured arrangements.
Ben de Graaf handles all of the vocals on Desire, and he moves between powerful low pitched growls and clean singing. The growls are the most dominant aspect of his performance as they break through the instrumentals and add an extra layer of intensity and roughness to the material. When it comes to the clean vocals, things are a little shakier and while they do suit the music quite well it sometimes sounds as though they are beginning to head out of tune. I have not heard Night of Suicide’s entire back catalog so I am not 100% sure if the previous material had clean singing or whether this is something new, but it could use just a bit more polish.
Aside from the slight issues with the clean vocals, Desire is a strong effort from a band that understands how to create atmospheric material that isn’t quite as claustrophobic as some of the other funeral doom out there. This genre may be an acquired taste but if you’ve always been intrigued by the way that the style has been able to do a lot with so little then don’t miss out on this release. Night of Suicide is quite an interesting group, and it may be time to track down their previous two full lengths to see how they stack up.
Author: Chris Dahlberg
Review
Metalstorm
8.3/10
14.04.2011
Depressive band name? Check.
Gloomy album cover? Check.
Short tracklist in spite of a lengthy playing time? Check.
Forcing reviewers to overuse synonyms for “depressing”? Check.
Desire, Ben de Graaff and Markus Heinonen’s third album via their collective mournful brainchild, Night Of Suicide, is a monolithic funeral doom album that seldom strays from the forlorn nature of the genre, walking the path of melancholy accompanied by an austere atmosphere and a variety of melodies as opposed to the path of rugged solitude. Despite this apparent level of ease, songs like “My Thoughts” and “Desire” retain enough anguish alone to end Charlie Sheen’s winning streak.
de Graaff’s unfathomable guttural output distorts even the most beautiful of Heinonen’s riffs, at times attaining implacable depths. Many comparisons can be made to that of Johan Ericson’s Doom:VS, and for good reason. Desire and Dead Words Speak compete on a fairly consistent level – both contain sorrowful melodies, self-loathing lyrical content, guttural vocals, semi-clean production, and a heavier atmosphere than Youtube’s most-watched “fat people falling” compilation. All in all, you’re looking at a well executed slab of extreme doom metal.
Desire is a rather typical funeral doom album, in that you’ll be looking for the nearest bridge to jump off of if you happen to be listening to this on a leisurely night stroll. The epic guitar melodies add to the agony, and de Graaff’s obscene vocal depth (it’s worth another mention for its precision alone), is perfectly juxtaposed with Heinonen’s more “approachable” musicianship. This makes for an enjoyable listen, one that is varied enough to keep your attention but not in any way complex.
Night Of Suicide are quickly working their way into becoming a common recommendation for fans of melodic funeral doom like Shape Of Despair and Officium Triste.
Author: Troy Gallant
Review
Doom-metal.com
16.04.2011
The dutch/finnish project is back with a vengeance and a new label, but did they manage to change the opinion I expressed in my review of their ‘Unanswered’ album (you can read it here) two years ago? The answer is both yes and no.
Let us start with the positive points : Night Of Suicide have finally grown its own personality. In those days of copycating and bandwagons everywhere, this is really a good pick. The band is still playing Funeral Doom the Finnish way, i.e. keyboard-ladden and filled with melodic parts, but a cold rawness has also made its way through their music. The songs are all more than 10 minutes long, and there’s enough subtelties in each one (what a great use they can do of the accoustic parts!) that you don’t get bored after the first 2 minutes. Ben De Graaf has made some efforts in the vocal departement and his voice finally sounds like what I’m looking for when I want fitting Funeral vocals : deep and threatening, while conveying convincing feelings of sadness and despair. The interpretation is good, with the usual ‘Firedoom-sounding’ guitar sound in the solos. And this is where the negative points come in.
While Night Of Suicide have evolved and flaunt more than once their own take on the Funeral Doom genre, they’re however still a bit too much influenced by the Shape Of Despair/Colosseum sound, to the point of sometimes being on the verge of pure cloning. This not necessarily something bad, considering that both bands have been quite inactive recently (well, the case of Colosseum being peculiar, you know the reason), but sometimes it gets a bit irritating.
Still, if I was to review badly every band that doesn’t bring something new to the table, there wouldn’t be a lot of things to listen to. Right now as it is, Night Of Suicide have done what I’ve been waiting from them since 2006 : they’ve released a good Funeral Doom album, with enough ideas of their own for it to be a real listening pleasure. If, like me, you was quite disappointed by the last Colosseum release, then check Night Of Suicide instead.
Author: Laurent Lignon
Review
MetalStorm
17.04.2011
The third album of an international project consisting of musicians from Netherlands – Ben de Graaff- and Finland –Markus Heinonen (Astral Sleep)-. Emotion, darkness and musical beauty combined together in a result that represents a most melodic side of Funeral Doom Metal mixed with some atmospheric Metal touches. The compositions are full of esoteric, deep and dark melodies, keyboard fillings and acoustic guitar interludes. This is a majestic journey to the lands mysterious and forgotten: the lands that are hidden inside our souls. for fans of Funeral and My Dying Bride and Officium Triste.
Author: IndieRock
Review
Kaosguards
Fruit des entrailles putrides et de la psyché détraquée d’un vocaliste néerlandais et d’un multi-instrumentiste finlandais (membre de ASTRAL SLEEP), ce troisième album de NIGHT OF SUICIDE (tout un programme !) est une merveille de Funeral Doom ultra mélancolique et dépressif.
En quatre morceaux seulement (chacun dépassant les dix minutes), le duo aligne avec brio les ingrédients incontournables. Pour la partie horrifique : des riffs plombés, un chant Death désincarné, une section rythmique écrasante déroulant des tempi d’une lenteur obsédante. Pour la partie atrocement enjôleuse : des arrangements (claviers, choeurs, guitare acoustique) grandioses et fascinants, de nombreuses enluminures mélodiques par la guitare lead.
Certes, il n’y a rien là de révolutionnaire, rien d’audacieux, cela sent le caveau comme à l’accoutumée. Mais nos deux dépressifs creusent leur tombe avec une telle foi, une telle volonté de ne pas se louper que l’auditeur se sent aspiré par ce vortex à la fois âpre, vénéneux et charmeur. La production et le mixage ne sont pas extrêmement chiadés, tout juste honorables ; ce qui ajoute un charme underground et évite la surcharge de l’espace sonore, trop souvent préjudiciable à la dynamique dans les productions actuelles.
Author: Alain Lavanne
Review
Minacious Webzine
“Desire” is the third album from this Finnish/Dutch collaboration. The music is slow and painful Funeral Doom, music filled with despair and life rejection. Raw and harsh guitar work, but there is also a melodic layer top the music with a lot of keyboards (though quite minimalistic keyboards) and acoustic passages. Combining melancholy with misanthropy, creating a musical void of self-hatred and isolation waiting for you to jump into it and be embraced by the darkness. If you are a fan of Funeral Doom Night of Suicide is for you, or if you enjoy life in general and would rather not Night of Suicide is also for you.
Author: Mordant
Review
Obscura
30.04.2011
Third full-length album for the duo Ben de Graaff (from Netherlands) and Markus Heinonen (from Finland) and first release for Russian label Solitude Prod.
Pleasantly shifting its style between a pretty scholastic and derivative Funeral Doom (of clear finn inspiration) and atmospheric/gothic, ‘Desire’ doesn’t rely upon keyboards/electronic effects all the time to create the eerie and claustrophobic atmospheres so necessary to its life, but rather prefers to rely upon guitars, leaving keys in the background for almost all the length of the songs. And that’s a very positive feature, since the use of keys has been widespread in the last 10 years, in spite of guitars.
In this album the feelings of death and despair are “sweetened” a little by an interesting research for evocative sounds, something that really does not belong to this kind of music at all, besides some few exceptions.
‘Desire’ is composed by four tracks each of them more than 10 minutes in length, and in the long run it can be difficult to be able to follow the band in its mournings towards the whole 45 minutes length.
Nevertheless this is called Doom for a reason, isn’t it?
Author: Gabriele Frontini
Review
Aristocrazia
09.05.2011
Terzo disco per il duo olandese-finnico composto da Ben De Graaff (Arminius, Sephiroth) e Markus Heinonen (Astral Sleep, Hypotermia) accompagnati dal batterista session Jiri Pyorala, la prima cosa che si nota è come la durata del lavoro sia ridotta al cospetto delle uscite precedenti che si assestavano ben oltre i cinquanta minuti, ciò non inganni, la natura funeral doom che ha contraddistinto il progetto sinora non è mutata, sono sempre quell’incedere che infligge una monotonia andante, le melodie carezzevoli, oblianti e un comparto ambientale sofferente e grigio perlaceo a costituire l’ossatura di un platter che osservando i titoli delle canzoni sembra essere un concept evolutivo su un’importante e “definitiva” scelta da attuare.
I Night Of Suicide usano in maniera misurata e struggente nelle dosi il violino, le chitarre acustiche ed esaltano l’architettura dei brani con dei synth a tappeto eterei ma mai ingombranti che svaniscono del tutto o vengono ridimensionati nei frangenti in cui si ha un cambio di passo teso a spezzare la lacerante cadenza ossessiva sin a quel momento creatasi.
Le tracce possiedono quel tocco amorevole, le note s’insinuano in testa con il loro suono dolce/amaro alimentando nel medesimo istante quella sensazione di claustrofobica chiusura, una stanza da cui non si può uscire anche se nessun ostacolo ce lo vieta, è incatenante e oppressiva la musica di “Desire”, ci si abitua dopo un po’ anche alla voce pulita cantilenante al limite con la stonatura che di primo acchito può risultare non proprio convincente.
Non si parla di un capolavoro ma di una gran bella produzione classica dell’ambito funeral, le armi per incantare gli abituali fruitori del filone estremo del doom faranno trovare nei Night Of Suicide l’ennesimo porto sicuro a cui poter affidare i risparmi, “Desire” è un acquisto consigliato.
Author: Mourning
Review
Metal Hummer 2011
7/10
I E név alapjän kevés kétséget hagy zenéjét I behatärolandö ez a 2005-ben alakult hôl- ! land duö. Gyâszos hangulatû doom zenét I jätszik a Ben de Graaff énekest és Markus 1 Heinonen hangszerest tömöri’tö éjszakai I öngyilkosok kettöse, gyakran keresztezve a doom/death és a funeral doom hatärmezs- I gyéit is. Nyilvànvalôan meri’tenek a nagyok 1 alapmüveiböl, ûgy mint My Dying Bride, J korai Anathema, Katatonia, de több mint I valôszinû, hogy a finnek fontos zenekarai- I nak (Thergothon, Skepticism stb.) a lemezei- I vel is tisztäban vannak.
A 45 pereben hallhato négy szerzemény* nem btr olyan egyedi vonpsokkal, mint a fent elsoroltak kiadvânyay « de elképZelé- seik, ötleteik a hollandoknäk is va^hnak, /és értenek a vâzolni kîvânt*siri vilàg lefestésé-hez. A lassu, doomos gitarjatekot tobbszor is vonosokra emlekezteto billentyujatek klse-ri, ami extra hangulati plusszal ruhazza fel a kriptak miliojet megeneklo zenet. Masutt vilagvegi gitarharmonidk szonek eji fatyolt korenk. Graaff hangja termeszetesen hor-ges, de nem az erthetetlen, ertelmezhetet-len fajtabol.
Nem alapmu a Desire, de elvezetes album, s a funeral doom irant erzekenyek szamara kiprobalando.
Author: M.P.
Review
Pavillon 666
7.5/10
16.05.2011
Et non Solitude Productions ne signe pas que des groupes russes ou d’Europe de l’Est, preuve en est avec ce troisième opus « Desire » du duo de Night of Suicide, à savoir Markus Heinonen et Ben de Graaff. Tout droit venus des Pays Bas (le deuxième pays du fromage paraît-il), les deux compères ne changent pas leur recette et nous proposent de nouveau un doom funéraire monolithique, suivant les pas de la mélancolie permanente et de la désolation. Pris dans une atmosphère assez grise et austère, à l’image de cette pochette bien morne, Night of Suicide met l’accent sur la variété des mélodies, nous propulsant sur le sentier obscur et terrible de la solitude.
A l’instar de Shade of Despair ou encore Doom :VS, l’ambiance générale est terriblement accablante et le chant guttural parfaitement adapté. Même la plus belle mélodie offerte par la guitare de Heinonen est un pas de plus vers des profondeurs implacables…et cela l’est d’autant plus lorsque l’on voit le contenu des paroles, basé bien entendu sur une souffrance omniprésente mais aussi un certain dégoût de la vie et de soi-même…on n’est donc ici pas loin d’une forme de doom dépressif, même si pour certains, ces termes peuvent apparaître comme un pléonasme.
Hormis le chant guttural, le chant clair suffit amplement à faire transparaître cet élan de mélancolie et de perdition, la musique nous offrant cette possibilité de voir cette souffrance que le chanteur semble porter sur ces épaules. L’alliance est parfaite entre les deux musiciens qui se complètent, les riffs lourds et sombres se mariant bien avec ces vocaux écorchés.
Atmosphère lourde, solos émotifs et émouvants posés sur un rythme lent et en decrescendo comme un être à l’agonie, dont le cœur semble prêt à s’arrêter…des nappes de claviers adaptés aux parties les plus relevées, comme l’intro de « My Thoughts »…mais évidemment beaucoup de longueur et de monotonie au cours de ces quatre morceaux aux durées trop imposantes pour ce qu’il y a à nous proposer. Cependant le rendu n’en reste pas moins intéressant et calme, paradé d’une production impeccable. A découvrir…
Author: Matai
Review
Biotechpunk
05.04.2011
Mit Desire liefern Night of Suicide ein vier Track Album ab, welches die dritte Veröffentlichung der Band darstellt, welche eigentlich im herkömmlichen Sinne keine Band, sondern eher ein Projekt ist, bestehend aus zwei Musiker die aus anderen Bands kommen.
Doch egal wie sich nun die Konstellation der Musiker nun nennt, ob Band oder Projekt, es kommt auf den Inhalt an, jedenfalls für mich.
Geboten wird, nach Plattenfirmenangaben, Funeral Doom, einem Genre zu dem die Wikipedia folgende Erklärung bereit hält :
Metal mit extrem langsamer, monotoner und depressiver Atmosphäre.
Ich muss sagen, im groben trifft die Erklärung schon zu, was hier geboten wird.
Geschwindigkeit ist nicht das Maß aller Dinge bei Night in Suicide, auch die schnelleren Parts wirken langsam, was so sicherlich Sinn der Sache ist.
Monoton ist die Musik dahingegend nicht so umbedingt, denn es ist Abwechslungsreich, soweit es im Rahmen des Funeral Doom hier möglich ist.
Nach Plattenfirmenangaben wird hier in dem Projekt die melodische Seite des Funeral Doom demonstriert und da muss ich einfach nur zustimmen, denn Melodien kommen einfach nicht zu kurz.
Auch wenn sich diese in die Musik einfügen, eben passend zum Stil der Musikrichtung sind, auch wenn sie, auch wenn sie nicht so Abwechslungsreich sind die Melodien, die Musik damit ein wenig auflockern, die Monotonie erweitern und aber auch, wie ich finde, aufreissen.
Mein Fazit: Doom und auch Funeral Doom muss man sicherlich mögen und diese Musik ist bestimmt nicht für jeden Geschmack etwas und auch nicht für jede Gelegenheit, doch ist es keine schlechte Scheibe die Night of Suicide hier abliefern.
Wer Doom mag, Funeral Doom und dabei auch mal eine Melodie vertragen kann, der wird das hier sicherlich mögen.
Die Musik ist in ihrem Rahmen Abwechslungsreich, wie ich schon oben erwähnte, bietet Melodienlinien und rollt nicht nur langsam vor sich hin, wie es manchmal im Doom vorkommt.
Was einen sicherlich stören könnte sind die langen Lieder, doch wer sich ein wenig drauf einlässt wird sich vielleicht in der Stimmung verlieren können die hier erzeugt wird.
Was jetzt noch fehlt ist eine Möglichkeit auch an die Musik ranzukommen, denn ich wüsste nun nicht wie man sie in Deutschland kaufen könnte.
Über Amazon zum Beispiel geht es nicht, nur über den Shop der Plattenfirma.
Author: Sebastian
Review
Mtuk Metal Zine
Ah, Funeral Doom. Well as befits this most shy of genres, this is the third full length by this Dutch/Finnish duo of Marcus Heinonen and Ben De Graaff and the first I have heard I’m afraid. If you have an aversion to the ‘typical’ funeral doom template then it would be best to move on now, but if your taste runs more in this direction, well, settle back.
‘My Thoughts’ sweeps in on a typically lonely, melodic guitar line pushed by a gentle swell of choral keyboards before softly growled, mostly spoken vocals ripple through. It takes this simple refrain and weaves it in and out of the song for most of the eleven minutes, pausing for an acoustic interlude before continuing on its solemn way. As ever with this type of Funeral Doom, the art and the atmosphere relies on the quality of that simple phrase; weak and it becomes simply a repetitive drone, rich and it becomes ever expanding and collapsing clouds like ink in water, a variation to play upon.
Night of Suicide do this rather well; the production is clear and simple bringing out the sonorous guitar and cushioning it with the keyboards and slow, measured drums. They allow the opening song time; time enough to make its point but even at over ten minutes still not growing weary. It’s a nicely understated entrance.
I’m less than convinced by ‘The Answer’ though. Oh it is still a classy piece and the drumming in particular keeps it ticking slowly away but that guitar theme ventures too close to a more brittle whine here until halfway through where it is softened into a hazy riff below a mournful string sound. This latter half works so much better until some rather shaky clean vocals and a keyboard/string sound that seems primitive. It is rather at odds with the sure step of the first number.
Still, we get to the title track and once more we are safely wrapped in well picked guitar phrasing and dark keyboards. There is a discordant note to some of the melody though, which unfortunately comes across as more of a stutter than the eerie counterpoint which I suspect is the intention. It is a shame as it shakes me out of the atmosphere and it takes time to regain it, though of course time is something Funeral Doom gives you in spades.
If you need reference points beyond the genre tag, then this is perhaps more akin to projects such as early Pantheist or a less classical Until Death Overtakes Me and of course the spectre of Skepticism passes through here and there particularly in the death vocals but these are only vague paths in a landscape revolving around loneliness, lies and betrayal.
Closing with ‘Final Decision’, where acoustic guitar is made use of to good effect, giving space for reflection before the heavier riff tides close in, Night Of Suicide close in on that twilight world it shares with the mellower ends of the depressive black metal genre with only the lyrical outlook really drawing the line with seemingly thoughts on the darker side of love and personal sadness rather than a bleaker misanthropy.
In the end Night Of Suicide are more the Gothic, doomed romantic shadow of Funeral Doom; thoughtfully put together and for the most part played with a commendable restraint. Elegance is a word I’m left with after the final notes fade, that and understated which for me should be what this music is about. There is no denying that this is for any flaws a good example and a pleasant, thoughtful listen. Not essential but still a musical work that is worth visiting.
Author: Gizmo
Review
Doommantia
7/10
01.05.2011
The Dutch-Finnish funeral doom band ‘Night Of Suicide’ are back with their third album and their most depressive release to date. This album is what you expect to hear from a funeral doom band – mournful melody lines, painfully slow tempos, depressing lyrics and bleak atmosphere and yes there is only four songs and yes, they are all very long.
Night Of Suicide is the brainchild of Ben de Graaff (vocals) and Markus Heinonen (all instruments) and while this album doesn’t stray at all from the funeral-doom formula, these two guys nail the genre in a way that very few others can match. The bleak, gray artwork is a perfect match for the music contained within, this is a monolithic dose of deadly melancholy that is melodically arranged and executed.
The album is fairly typical of European funeral doom but it also beautifully constructed. The use of violin, the acoustic guitars and the perfect placement of keyboards in the mix makes this an easy 45 minutes to sit through even though it is so dark and bleak. Everything is simple but played with incredible precision – even Ben de Graaff’s vocals has incredible depth, so it is a hypnotic listening experience.
Starting with ‘My Thoughts’ and ending on ‘Final Decision’ there is not much variation within the tracks and all they all bleed into each other making selecting specific highlights difficult. The album in typical funeral doom style is very monotonous and apart from variation in the instruments used to highlight different sections, there is not much to separate the four tracks but the opening dramatics of ‘My Thoughts’ is perhaps the best track on ‘Desire.’
If you are looking for something consistent in its bleakness, this album will do the job. If you are looking for a band to stimulate the senses, this may get a bit tedious. Fans of Shape Of Despair and Officium Triste will be the first ones to gravitate to Night Of Suicide but I also see fans of early My Dying Bride and early Anathema digging this. Remember when those bands were truly doom – well that is the sound that Night Of Suicide seem to be going for. Most of the time, this album is very entertaining but mostly from the point of view of instrumentation. They bring nothing new to the funeral-doom table but what they do, they do it with utter finesse and precision….
Author: Ed
Review
Lords of Metal
7.4/10
‘Desire’ is het derde album van het Fins/Nederlandse duo Night Of Suicide. Na een release in eigen beheer ‘What I Have To Hide…’ en het album ‘Unanswered’ dat uitkwam via Satanarsa Records hebben de heren onderdak gevonden bij Solitude Productions. Het instrumentale deel is geheel toe te schrijven aan Markus Heinonen die ook actief is in Astral Sleep. De zang is vervolgens door Ben de Graaff in Nederland opgenomen, Ben is daarnaast ook actief als zanger in de band Sepiroth. Overigens hebben de beide heren elkaar onlangs voor het eerst in levende lijve ontmoet en een show in Helsinki gegeven.
Muzikaal is dit pure funeral doom die door de nodige inzet van gitaarmelodieën minder extreem klinkt dan menig andere band in dit genre. De vier songs zijn allen tussen de tien en twaalf minuten in en bevatten voldoende variatie om te blijven boeien en dat is bij veel bands in dit genre vandaag de dag wel een probleem. Ikzelf raak toch vrij snel verveeld als de muziek maar voortkabbelt. Gelukkig is dat bij Night Of Suicide niet het geval want de gitaarpartijen en de onderliggende toetspartijen maken dit gewoon een erg lekker klinkend album. De vocalen van De Graaff zijn diep en passen prima bij de muziek, ik vind alleen de cleane zang wat minder, hier mist echt de overtuiging die zo noodzakelijk is om indruk te maken. Dit is wellicht een minpuntje maar verder is dit gewoon een prima funeral doom album.
Author: Pim B.
Review
Pest Webzine
9/10
Well, this is not bad at all, I really liked giving this album a few spins, but what I don’t get from it is why, if they knew the vocals would be so lowtuned and hidden in the background (plus they are growls, not clean vox), they didn’t list the lyrics on the booklet as well. For a Funeral Doom band lyrics are extremely important, one cannot express all sadness and/or melancholy only through the instrumental part. Anyway, Night Of Suicide, this duo formed of a Dutch guy (Ben on vocals) and a Finnish one (Markus on instruments), offer us on this third studio album a melancholic, quite complex Funeral Doom Metal that takes influences from traditional Doom Metal and even Gothic at times, and the final result is a great piece of music for the meditative, romantic metallers out there. Except for that lyrics thing I have nothing to object on this album, I like it a lot and so I recommend it to you, too.
Author: Adrian
Review
The Pit of the Damned
9/10
03.07.2011
Con “Desire” siamo di fronte all’eccellenza. Una perla di magnificenza al di là di ogni comparazione di stile, un’opera musicale di mirabile ispirazione. Ecco ciò che io intendo con vero doom melanconico, a tratti squisitamente romantico (in un romanticismo che non ha nulla a che fare con le relazioni di coppia), con arpeggi e passaggi melodici che rimandano ai maestri anglosassoni My Dying Bride. Gli ingredienti ci sono tutti: quattro tracce, tutte che superano gli undici minuti, voce in growl e tuttavia comprensibile in molte parti, utilizzo di scale armoniche alternate come un botta e risposta tra due chitarre, idealmente a metà tra inferno e paradiso. Eccezionale il contenuto testuale, che sebbene recuperi i modelli tipici della solitudine e del suicidio, li sviluppa in una visione non ridondante e decisamente non statica. Come sempre quando ci si getta nel doom, anche in questo caso mi permetto di sottolineare la necessità di ascoltare l’opera in crescendo per intero. Sono d’altronde gli stessi titoli ad indicare un’evoluzione: “My Thoughts”, “The Answer”, “Desire”, “Final Decision”; paragrafi di una vicenda che termina nella decisione di accettare il proprio destino di suicida (figurato o reale, è comunque suicidio del proprio ego). L’opera comunica dolorosa solitudine, ma non vi è buio accecante. Le note indicano ricerca di un’armonia sonora; le stesse tracce sono divise in più parti, a volte dall’andamento totalmente diverso rispetto l’intro. La melodia di base della prima traccia, soprattutto, tocca l’anima più di ogni altra, ed è ripresa e modificata, non a caso, nell’ultima. Vi posso assicurare che non ve la dimenticherete più. Per quanto riguarda il genere, possiamo considerare “Desire” come melancholic doom, con un growl decisamente meno gutturale del solito e quasi nascosto dietro la patina del sonoro. Ottimo lavoro di registrazione, considerando che si tratta di una collaborazione internazionale. Non ho trovato una pecca che fosse una. È un album perfetto sia a livello musicale che tematico, uno di quegli album che invita alla riflessione, che elimina l’essere materiale per lasciare posto allo spirito. Da ascoltare assolutamente ad occhi chiusi in situazioni di tranquillità per assimilare ogni vibrazione. È musica che genera sensazioni in immagini, che induce trance, “che apre le porte della percezione” (Doors docet)…
Author: Damiano Benato
Review
Femfogacs
7.5/10
07.07.2011
A Night of Suicide nemzetek közötti összefonódás eredményeképp jött létre 2005-ben, amikor is a holland Ben de Graff (ének) és a finn Markus Heinonen életre hívta a zenekart. 2006-ban és 2008-is nagylemezzel rukkolt elő a duó, illetve ugyanígy történt idén márciusban is a Desire album kapcsán.
A skandináv duó irányvonala határozottan kijelölhetővé válik már a My Thoughts első percében, mikor kezdenek körvonalazódni a funeral doom stílusjegyek. A lassú, vagy esetenként legfeljebb középtempóig felszökő riffelés jól jelzi, hogy ez a szekció kíván domináns szerepkörben tetszelegni, amelyet kellő műgonddal támogat a temetői hangulatot megidéző szintetizátor. A The Answer (belegondolni is rossz, hogy hányféle műfajban mennyi banda írt számot ezzel a címmel… haha) esetében kissé megkésve kapcsolódik be az ének, de ez cseppet sem hat zavaró jelleggel, mivel a Night of Suicide valójában ,,zenében erős”, az éneket lefűzve is megállná a helyét a produkció. A funeral doom bandák azon csúsznak el általában, hogy egysíkúan közelítik meg a műfajt, pedig pont ez az a stílus, ami igényli a muzikális változatosságot, hiszen az énekben nincs nagy holtjátékra lehetőség. A Night of Suicide ebből jól vizsgázik, hiszen törekszik egyfajta heterogén struktúrát kialakítani a hangszerek segítségével. Az ének viszont attól függetlenül, hogy törekszik a változatosságra (pl. tiszta vokál helyenként) a borítóhoz hasonlóan elég szürke lett. Mindezek ellenére bátran állíthatom, hogy típushibáktól mentesnek nevezhető a Desire.
A műfajt kedvelők számára mindenképp ajánlanám a skandináv sírásókat.
Author: Infam
Review
13 Brat
22.07.2011
Ljubim doom, malo manj diši mi funeral doom. Tako bi lahko poimenovali moj odnos do tega obskurnega, redkim nekrofilom namenjenega žanra. Toda enkrat je potrebno zopet prisluhniti in ponudba ruske založbe Solitude Productions po recenziranju njihovih izdaj je prišla kot naročena. Zadeva je že na prvi pogled seksi, saj benda skoraj nihče ne pozna, tako da nekaj točk so že dobili. Sledijo pa 4 nad 10 minut dolge kompozicije, ki zahtevajo precejšnjo dozo koncentracije in uživanja v mračni kontemplaciji. Po možnosti z Ipodom, sedeč na nagrobniku na bližnjem zapuščenem pokopališču. Za imenom Night Of Suicide se skriva nizozemsko finski projekt, ob tem je potrebno samo še omeniti, da finska polovica deluje tudi v doom bendu Astral Sleep. Baje tudi projekt ni ravno nov, saj naj bi šlo že za tretji izdelek. Glasbeno celotna zadeva temelji na melodičnih kitarskih linijah, ki se ponavljajoče prepletajo in peljejo komade od začetka do konca. Vokali so običajno hropenje, značilno za začetne Paradise Lost in My Dying Bride, tako da nič presenetljivega na tem področju, občasno so le dodani spremljevalni vokali kot ste jih nekateri vajeni pri cerkvenem petju. Verjetno ni treba posebej poudarjati, da na ritmiki ne delajo veliko, konec koncev gre le za pogrebni marš in ne za poziv na ples. Glasba primerna za posebne trenutke in večne (nek)romantike.
Author: Marko
Review
Metal Revolution
7/10
18.08.2011
Dutch/Finnish duo called Night Of Suicide recently released their third offering, a four-tracker album Desire. After a few label changes they finally found their home in Russian based Solitude Productions. In other words; this kind of doom metal is exactly what they have specialized in.
The four tracks presented here are very lengthy and few shifts in tempo and mood are simply necessary to avoid the monotony. Therefore the band includes numerous instrumental parts, done by Markus Heinonen. The vocals are done by other band member, Ben de Graff doing a pretty decent job with deep and clean vocals. His vocals fit the music very well and overall musicianship is great too.
Main force of Night Of Suicide’ music is the variation and obviously guitar and synth parts. I never expected a piece of funeral doom to be as interesting and diverse as Desire actually is. Still not convinced? Then go and check for yourself at http://www.myspace.com/nightofsuicide
Author: bato
Review
Hardsounds
7/10
17.05.2011
Allegria! Allegria! Una collaborazione internazionale (io la chiamerei cospirazione) tra l’olandese Ben De Graaff (Sephiroth), ed il finlandese Markus Heinonen (Astral Sleep), per partorire questo inno alla gioia. Ironia a parte, qui di luminoso non c’è nemmeno l’intervallo tra un brano e l’altro visto che trattasi di funeral doom oltranzista sulla falsariga di Funeral e Shape Of Despair. Quindi arpeggi che fanno da intro a lunghissimi riff monocordi, tastiere impostate sulle stesse tonalità (riempimento) che vanno a ricreare paesaggi di una desolazione e depressione siderale. Le tracce non scendono mai al di sotto dei dieci minuti e sono caratterizzate da lentezza esasperante, accompagnata da un growling marcato, che non viene mitigata nemmeno dalle melodie delle chitarre e dalle loro sovrapposizioni. Estrema cura e precisione nelle soluzioni, qualche accenno di violino (parte centrale di “The Answer”), e l’ottima produzione contribuiscono a rendere ‘Desire’ appetibile nel complesso, ma destinato essenzialmente a chi mastica il genere in oggetto.
Author: Igor Fanelli
Review
Headbang
7/10
I Night Of Suicide giungono con Desire al terzo full-lenght, a presentarceli è la solita Solitude Productions che piazza sul mercato un altro positivissimo prodotto. In line up troviamo il finnico Markus Heinonen (già conosciuto per l’egregio lavoro svolto con gli Astral Sleep) e l’olandese Ben De Graaff. Il duo offre tre quarti d’ora di “melanconic funeral doom” di forte e disperata atmosfera, una musica che punta a fornire “elegante decadenza” invece che la solita dose di apatica oppressione monolitica. Ma non sarà comunque semplice affrontare i quattro tormentosi brani (tutti superiori ai dieci minuti), lo spettro della noia potrà colpire verso metà disco, quando i Night Of Suicide perdono qualcosina in brillantezza in brani come The Answer e Desire. Non si tratta di brutti pezzi sia chiaro, si rischia solamente di portare all’esasperazione alcuni frammenti sui quali era forse meglio non insistere (visto l’ottimo risultato delle altre due). Il valore di Desire non è comunque in discussione, c’è solo un lieve ostacolo con il quale fare i conti ma alla fine sono solo sottigliezze, perchè tutto è concretamente espresso su buoni livelli.
La caratteristica migliore dei Night Of Suicide è quella di saper coniugare una chitarra melodica che sembra andare per i fatti suoi (indiscussa protagonista con le sue note intense e toccanti) con uno sfondo di tastiera idoneo in tutta la sua semplicità. La prima My Thoughts -in tutta la sua grazia- mi ha ricordato tantissimo i miei pupilli Necare. La seconda The Answer chiude i battenti lasciandoci in un clima di forte tristezza (si respira forte desolazione durante i passaggi più sofferti), mentre la seguente title track incrementa ulteriormente il disagio punzecchiando con freddi arpeggi. Final Decision pone la parola fine a tutto, impossibile non rimanere stregati dalle sue effimere melodie e dagli interventi parlati che si tramutano poco dopo in growl.
Se Shape Of Despair o Necare valgono molto per voi, sarete adeguatamente sfamati da quella irrefrenabile voglia di struggente e lenta melodia grazie ai Night Of Suicide.
Author: DukeFog
Review
Imperiumi
6/10
13.06.2011
Toisin kuin voisi ehkä kuvitella, Night of Suicide ei lukeudu niin sanottujen depressiivisten black metal -bändien monipäiseen joukkoon. Sen sijaan kyseessä on enemmänkin vanhan koulukunnan death/doomia, ja vieläpä pitkillä, yli kymmenminuuttisilla veisuilla varustettuna.
Desire, järjestyksessään yhtyeen vaikea kolmas levytys, on pääosin kotimaista työtä, vaikka taustalla häärii myös hollantilaista taustatekijää. Siinä missä itse biisit ovat Markus Heinosen käsialaa, vastaa lauluista ja sanoituksista Ben de Graaff. Tämän kaksikon voimin ja sessiorumpalin avustuksella on valmistunut kolmivarttinen matka melodisen hidastelun maisemiin.
Periaattessa levyllä on kaikki genrensa palikat kohdallaan. Biisit ovat yhdenmukaisia, tyylissä ei ole lipsumista vieraisiin pöytiin ja kappaleiden kautta on tavoitettu siivu melankolista tunnelmaa. Erityisen synkkää tai ahdistavaa meininki ei ole, ja paikka paikoin tuotos kuulostaakin suoraan sanoen hieman tylsältä.
Anti tuo mieleen 1990-luvun doomarit, jotka hakivat raskautta menoonsa juuri death metalin sukulaisuudella, mutta korvaten brutaaliuden ja väkivaltaisuuden synkkyydellä ja alakuloisuudella. Tässä Desire ei täysin onnistu ja synkistelyn tilalla seisoo paikka paikoin haukotuttava yhdentekevyys.
Laulupuolen örinä on kelpoa, joskin tavanomaista, ja puhtaat lauluosuudet kuulostavat välistä jopa hirveiltä. Soundit taas edustavat ihan kelpoa työtä, mutta syitä ylistyksiin tai kehuihin ne eivät anna. Desire ei ole huono levy, mutta kaikkiaan varsin keskinkertainen teos omassa lokerossaan.
Author: Serpent
Review
Headbanger
8/10
08.09.2011
Ешьте побольше кокаину, и она настанет – ночь самоубийства. Кто не хочет помирать, может потестить финско-голландскую банду Night Of Suicide, которая в этом году выпустила свой третий альбом. Его название – “Desire” – содержит намёк на некую томность, а обложка томности противоречит, утверждая торжество могил и веселье сна.
Заводите пластинку и веселитесь: музыкант устало перебирают струны и из последних сил стучит в барабаны, а певец потусторонне рычит и страдальчески поёт чистым голосом. Томность мелодий и общего настроя налицо. К ней присоединяется обложечная сырость и серость: музыка дико печальна и грустна, небо от таких песен сереет и плачет, а калоши сексуально взбухают и хлюпают. Чего ещё желать? По возможности, бесконечности дождя и осени. Чтобы и с неба текло, и из глаз, и с носа. Всемирная скорбь веселится и ликует под красивейшие, щемящие сердце лиды Маркуса Хейнонена. Night Of Suicide очень хорошо делают её дело, уменьшая на земле процент радостных людей.
Соль такова: альбом очень хорош. Хотя здесь нет никаких откровений, вероятность открытия вен слушателем возрастает по мере приближения к концу пластинки. Или сокращается, если такой красивый и грамотно записанный сверхмелодичный и атмосферный материал производит на вас терапевтический эффект. Тут следует быть осторожным и учитывать вероятность привыкания. Как к этому альбому, так и к нетленным пластинкам команд-конкурентов (Shape Of Despair, Funeral и Officium Triste, например). Правда, привыкание к таким веществам, если вы не едите кокаина и его друзей, не может иметь плохих последствий.
Author: Richter
Review
Zero Tolerance
3.5/6
Finally, the Dutch funeral doom act Night of Suicide close up our visit with some legit-sounding, processional shit which brings to mind those lost, lonely first listening sessions of Skepticism and Shape of Despair back in the day. In other words: this is no-frills, classically-based dirge-doom the old-school way.
Review
Doom Metal Front
8.5/10
Der umtriebige Finne Markus Heinonen, seines Zeichens Sänger und Instrumentalist in diversen Bands und in der Doomszene wohl am ehesten durch seine Engagements bei Astral Sleep und Stone Ship bekannt, hat gemeinsam mit dem in den Niederlanden lebenden Ben de Graaff ein weiteres, bereits seit 2005 existierendes Projekt am Start, dass sich zum Leichenschmaus an den Label-Tisch von Solitude Productions gesellt. „Desire“ nennt sich die im silbrig-grauen Booklet gelieferte CD, welche das Verlangen nach depressivem Funeral/Death Doom stillen soll. Maßgeblich dazu trägt insbesondere Heinonen´s geniale Instrumental- und vor allem Akustik- sowie E-Gitarrenarbeit bei, die die Songs „My Thoughts“, „The Answer“, „Desire“ und „Final Decision“ abwechslungsreich macht und ihnen durch viele Feinheiten eine überdurchschnittliche Note verleiht. Das tighte Spiel des Sessiondrummers Jiri Pyörälä, ebenfalls Astral Sleep, und die fett old-schoolig klingenden Death Vocals eines Herrn de Graaff, der sich ganz vorsichtig und auch nur kurz ins cleane Gesangsterritorium vorwagt, runden das dritte Album dieser finnisch-niederländischen Kooperation perfekt ab. Meiner Meinung nach vermag es diese länderübergreifende Konstellation deshalb mit „Desire“ ein wirklich aussagekräftiges Statement im funeralistischen Bereich zu setzen, in dem derzeit leider viel zu viele Kapellen im Einheitsbrei versinken.
Author: Slowmas
Review
Evilized
Für gewöhnlich können kleinere Instrumentalpatzer, Timingungenauigkeiten oder auch sich hin und wieder einschleichende schiefe Töne in den Gesangslinien verziehen werden, sofern sich diese in nicht allzu großzügig bemessenen Grenzen halten. Was allerdings die niederländisch/finnische Koalition NIGHT OF SUICID zur Veröffentlichung ihres aktuellen Werkes “DESIRE” bewogen hat, wird sich dem Rezensenten dieser Zeilen zumindest in diesem Leben jedoch nicht mehr erschließen.
Dabei kann das mittlerweile dritte Vollalbum der Gruppierung einen durchaus guten Start verzeichnen. Mit dem Eröffnungsstück “My Thoughts” präsentiert das Duo eine solide Funeral Doom Hymne, die aus sehnsüchtigen Gitarrenmelodien und einem schleppenden Schlagwerk lebt. Wenngleich Innovation oder Originalität während des 12-minütigen Songs vergebens gesucht werden und auch das Wort Tightness im Hause NIGHT OF SUICIDE nur sehr klein geschrieben wird, kann eine zumindst solide Leistung nicht aberkannt werden.
Die Ernüchterung hält jedoch auf “DESIRE” einen raschen Einzug
Die Ernüchterung hält jedoch auf “DESIRE” einen raschen Einzug. Bereits mit dem folgenden Titel “The Answer” können keine neuen musikalischen Aspekte mehr geboten werden. Es bleiben zwar einige schöne Melodien, die jedoch von dem bereits bekannten, wenig harmonischen Zusammenspiel von Saitenfraktion und Schlagzeug begleitet werden. Auf die Spitze treiben es NIGHT OF SUICIDE schließlich mit der wahnwitzigen Idee, sich an der Bedienung einer Violine, sowie dem Einsatz von Klargesang zu versuchen. Eine Leistung die immerhin eine aufrecht stehende Position sämtlicher Nackenhaare des Hörers herbeiführt.
Auch auf den restlichen beiden Stücken bleibt das Duo seinem eingeschlagenen Pfad treu und verliert sich mit zunehmend unsauberer werdenden Melodien und einer instrumentalen Unfähigkeit jenseits des Tolerierbaren in einem Nebel der Belanglosigkeit.
NIGHT OF SUICIDE versuchen die wenigen guten Ansätze, die direkt zu Beginn in “My Thoughts” verarbeitet wurde auf Albumlänge auszudehnen, ohne sich die Mühe zu machen, weitere kreative Ideen in das Material einfließen zu lassen. Die Umsetzung erfolgt hierbei auf eine derart lieblose und unprofessionelle Art und Weise, dass nur dazu geraten werden kann, einen großen Bogen um “DESIRE” zu machen.
Author: Urkraft
Review
Mortem Zine
6/10
05.11.2011
Spolu s typickým přebalem poplatným funerálnímu drhnutí doom metalového stylu přicházejí po třech letech NIGHT OF SUICIDE s novým albem ”Desire”. Holandsko-finský projekt dvojice De Graaff – Heinonen se na něm nadále věnuje melodickému pohřebnímu umění s lehkým atmosférickým dotykem. V paměti mám předchozí snažení nazvané ”Unanswered”, které mě ale příliš nenadchlo, spíše ubíjelo svou průměrností, divným zvukem a nedostatkem vlastní invence. Tři roky pokročily a nové album s sebou přináší další pokus temné metalové mše nejpomalejšího metalového ražení. Ještě připomínám, že své by si v něm mohli najít například fans Officium Triste, popřípadě úmrtím utnutých Colosseum. Tímto bychom alespoň zůstali ve zmiňovaných dvou státech…
Touha NIGHT OF SUICIDE je jít zas o krok dál. Překročit tak alespoň svůj nedlouhý a rozmazaný stín a vměstnat do své tvorby zajímavější postupy a harmonie. Tohle málo se, myslím, podařilo, ”Desire” zní opravdu lépe jak minulá nahrávka, tolik neprudí a netváří se tak zbytečně. Otázkou zůstává, zda to stačí. Na víc momentálně tento dvouhlavý projekt zkrátka nemá, ale hůl bych nad ním vyloženě nelámal. ”Desire” na jednu stranu mate svou nezaujatostí a pramalou hloubkou, na stranu druhou disponuje několika víc než slušnými melodiemi a proměnami. Dřevní nástrojové obsazení, jež má na starosti finská složka souboru, je doprovázeno sympaticky užitými klávesami, které mají dotvořit tajemné prostředí alba. Jednoduché motivy jako pozadí, žádné přeplácané kosmo varhany. Příjemné. Mistr de Graaff pak upřednostňuje chropot, ale lze zaznamenat i jeho čisté pokusy. V jeho případě bych však raději zůstal u toho hrdelního dávení…
Zkrátka a prostě, NIGHT OF SUICIDE vycedili na své poměry slušné album, které ale v souvislosti s konkurencí zřejmě zapadne. Čtveřice hymen v jejich podání přinese radost spíš skalním nebo doomově nenáročným samotářům. Archívní tajemství a pravé perly funerálního kumštu tak zůstanou nadále neohroženy. Album na mě působí tak trochu jako na houpačce. Skutečně jsem si oblíbil úvodní song ”My Thoughts”, abych pak s nezájmem sledoval, jak nezáživně se kolem mě plouží druhá ”The Answer”. Jako by nedotažená pohřební píseň, které by slušelo mnohem víc odvahy a kreativity, jakkoliv se to ve zhoubném doom metalu zdá jako příliš blyštivé zboží. A tak se mé nálady střídají po celou dobu alba, netřeba se pouštět do složitých rozborů.
Author: Victimer