Canada's Profound Lore Records has a knack for pulling magical, musical gems from the earth. While the label is geared primarily towards heavy music, it's also released varied, inimitable bands like experimental hip-hop act DALEK and avant-garde extreme metal band PORTAL. The cutting-edge label has forged a relationship with FUOCO FATUO, and the mysterious Italian funeral doom outfit is unleashing it's new absolutely abysmal and crushing six-song album titled "Obsidian Katabasis". The album is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for casual listening. "Obsidian Katabasis" is an all-consuming vortex, sucking you into a hellish soundscape. It oozes with an energy that spurs a feeling of dread and strikes with a sense of drama, carefully avoiding any pitfall of melodrama. There is utter genius at hand with this kind of craftsmanship. "Obsidian Katabasis" follows FUOCO FATUO's 2017 full-length "Backwater", an effort that upped the ante and focus upon all that is dark, demonic and miserable. That shift was notable, but the Italian band has pushed the envelope even further here. This time around, the funeral doom aspect is bleaker and more fatalistic, and the thickness of sound and massive space it creates is even more gargantuan, bringing to mind the likes of DISEMBOWELMENT. The punches midway through "I" strike like waves violently crashing deep in the ocean. Initially calm, creepy and crawling, the outlandishly entitled "Thresholds of Nonexistence Through Eerie Aeon" drifts toward a menacing dirge as otherworldly as the song title would suggest. Surprisingly, when the devilish death growls are given a break, a very human sounding, moaning voice takes control almost as though a person's spirit is fighting the demonic possession that's consuming them throughout the rest of the release. FUOCO FATUO is not for everyone. But for those inclined toward doom metal, especially of the death-doom and funeral doom varieties, the Italian ensemble offers something that's mind-blowing, mind-numbing and instantly captivating. Aficionados of evil doom are in for a hell of a treat with "Obsidian Katabasis".
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