Encoffination – O’ Hell, Shine in Thy Whited Sepulchres (Review)
Genre: Atmospheric Death Metal, Funeral Doom
Label: Selfmadegod Records
Format: Digital Promo (Earsplit PR)
After several listens to this dirty, old school, obscure death metal album, I’m convinced that Encoffination are going to be leaders of the atmospheric death and funeral doom genres for a long time to come.
This is not your typical pretty sounding modern death metal. There are no clean breaks, no well-defined vocals that are enunciated and easily understood, no immensely fast solos, and no breakdowns. This is also not the doom that Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, or even My Dying Bride have created.
O’ Hell, Shine in thy Whited Sepulchres is guitar and bass driven, but organs and bells make their presence known, adding layers of atmosphere; combined with excruciatingly slow riffs and the very voice of death Himself, this album is not so much a collection of songs, but a collection of bodies. Of which, you can count your own a part of after listening.
The opening track is a short instrumental intro, “Sacrum Profanum Processionali”, and it helps to set the tone of imminent doom.
“Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment” follows, dragging you down into an ancient mortuary currently run by spectres of a diseased past.
The tone and feeling doesn’t ever let up through “Ritual Until Blood” and “Elegant in Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen”, only getting more oppressive and obscure in “Crypt of His Communal Devourment” and “Washed and Buried”.
“Pall of Unrequited Blood” and “Annunciation of Viscera” are somewhat faster than the rest of the album, but by no means any less oppressive feeling. “Annunciation…” is also the longest track on the album, taking just under eleven minutes to destroy your will to survive.
In all, this is a great album. I’ll be coming back to it a lot, for both pleasure and inspiration.
8 out of 10.
Encoffination on Facebook.
O’ Hell, Shine in Thy Whited Sepulchres Tracklisting:
1. Sacrum Profanum Processionali
2. Rites of Ceremonial Embalm’ment
3. Ritual Until Blood
4. Elegant in Their Funebrial Cloaks, Arisen
5. Crypt of His Communal Devourment
6. Washed and Buried
7. Pall of Unrequited Blood
8. Annunciation of Viscera
O’ Hell, Shine in Thy Whited Sepulchres Personnel:
Elektrokutioner: Drums, Percussion
Ghoat: Guitars, Bass, Vocals, Organ, Bells