Begrabnis Izanaena

On "Izanaena," Begräbnis's Doom is Buried Deep (Album Stream)


It’s expected, I think, that a funeral doom band sounds somewhat like a funeral, but why not go one step further? Begräbnis sounds like your funeral. On their upcoming debut album Izanaena, the Japanese doom band puts you into the coffin for a morose ceremony conducted at an excruciatingly slow pace. Embrace your entombment now, as we’re streaming the whole album in full:

Everything about Izanaena is funereal: from the band’s name, meaning “funeral” in German, to the album concept, which revolves around life’s eventual end. It truly does sound like first-person funeral doom, too. Mournful melodies play out from ear to ear, creeping around the edges of the mix as if just beyond your reach, but front-and-center are more grisly matters: guttural groans from an unwanted guest in your grave, echoing the sentiments of plodding riffs burrowing through your skull.

After their drummer departed in 2012, Begräbnis opted to use a drum machine instead, and this album sports barely any percussion — chiefly a booming kick drum that’s like a summoning bell. Each sparsely-applied thud breathes new life (or death?) into the shuddering machinations of the album, pushing the tracks along like half-animated husks on a postmortem mission. This might seem strange at first, but it has a chilling effect — somewhat ironically, the “fastest” element of most funeral doom are the drums, which can’t play too slowly without becoming irrelevant or boring. Taking those out makes Begräbnis’s funeral doom feel slower, weightier, and almost minimalist in its careful construction.

All these elements form an immersive journey into something that the living can never really experience — a rare opportunity to peek at the borders of mortality. You can completely sink into Izanaena, almost as if it’s a grave itself.

Izanaena releases October 28th via Weird Truth Productions.
Regarding Izanaena, the band comments:

The album title “IZANAENA” means “spinning the thread of life.” It’s based on Japanese myth, Japanese traditional philosophy, and ancient Japanese language, representing the concept of “life and death” and “burial/funeral”.


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