Funeral doom is a disturbing catharsis and artistic reaction to despair. It creates a violent and oppressive landscape with a melodious undertone. Canada’s Longing for Dawn are a miserable bunch that have been releasing quality material under the radar for sometime now and on this their third release, the apocalypse sounds closer than ever.
Between Elation and Despair weaves dark ambience and desolate infinity with truly tyrannical melodies and vocals. “A Sunrise at Your Feet,” displays this band utter hopelessness and eccentric wall of sound spanning almost eleven minutes (one of the shorter songs). The albums four tracks are lumbering yet catastrophic with poetic spoken words and brutal gutturals reminiscent of Mourning Beloveth, Process of Guilt, and Doom:Vs with a slight industrial vibe.
The atmosphere is key on any Longing for Dawn record. On “Reflective” the sense of space and infinite, bleak frontiers cannot be denied. Though, not as abstract as their competition in the genre, Longing for Dawn’s colors lie deep within each composition and will take time to fully absorb. This isn’t terribly complex music, but its length and mood demand multiple listens and devoted attention.
This type of record requires many things from the listener. If you are a fan of funeral doom and completely crushing music, this is for you. Between Elation and Despair will succeed in ruining anyone’s good mood, that’s for sure.
