Nortt - Gudsforladt
Funeral doom is a difficult subject to discuss, and as with any genre, it is filled with bands that approach the same subject rather differently.
As a quick comparitive overview, some FD bands are experimental (the gorgeous ethnic sounding PANTHEIST with its variety of clean and harsh vocals & Mediterranean instruments on O Solitude); some manage to corner all markets (SKEPTICISM, especially in the differences between the bleak, rough-edged Stormcrowfleet and epic greatness of the more dynamic Farmakon); some with psychadelic-infused subtleties (ESOTERIC, where the oddities of what they deliver end up sounding horrific, particularly on Epistemological Despondency -- I'm not sure if I've heard scarier vocals); some drowning in their own stark emptiness (THERGOTHON, completely lost in its own despondency with clean vocal passages floating upon guttural growls).
NORTT, on the other hand, seem to follow in the footsteps of EVOKEN, where all melody-free riffs are accentuated (and compensated for) by the actual melody found in the keys. Now slow it down to snail pace funeral march, replace synths with what sounds like a real grand piano, and you're somewhere in the NORTT playing ballpark. It's very much a "less is more" approach, and they basically rectify what bands like SHAPE OF DESPAIR manage to get wrong: instead of sounding overly polished whilst gleaming in synths, NORTT manage to remain bleak enough to sound like they're indeed actually dying, face down in the gutter, rain pouring, blood spilling, washing away the sadness sort of thing blah blah.
The problem with this "less is more" approach is that after a while, it tends to sound a little simplistic (or straightforward) particularly if you're already a fan of aforementioned bands like SKEPTICISM, THERGOTHON, PANTHEIST, etc. I think it's ok to vary the vocal styles, throw in a different sounding instrument, experiment with a sound here or there, just explore the musical territory a bit further. NORTT, however, are playing text book funeral doom 101 so if you're new to the genre, NORTT might be an excellent place to start.
Note that NORTT do leverage sounds of actual rain, church bells, etc and I dare say that certain moments almost sound movie-like in all their nighttime ambience, and this is a great thing in my book, especially with autumn/winter approaching.
