Funeral Winds has been around for a long fucking time. This makes it a bit daunting to cover a band with a massive discography as theirs (his), whatever. Funeral Winds has been the work of Hellchrist Xul, since 1992. An incredibly talented psychopath, whose heart beats with the elemental rage of 90s Black Metal; his is the black blood that courses through these eight tracks.

Stigmata Mali translates as “The Stigmata of Evil.” The bleeding hands of Christ can’t touch the opening blast of “Open the Wounds”, slow at first before the first blast hits. The title track is a burner as well, seemingly born on the back of the first track. This album is reminiscent (to me with the keyboard) of Satyricon’s Rebel Extravaganza, in terms of pacing and the overall tempo changes within the songs, it has moments of unrestrained fury that threatens to boil over, “The Angels of Darkness”, “Odious Emanations” are outcries to the Lord of Darkness each one pounding with a brutal production that will freeze your speakers. Closing track “The Bornless Forever” seethes with controlled malevolent hatred, ending the album in blistering fashion, with a knife slash to the gut.

Overall, this is a great album to listen to while watching an avalanche destroy a town. Merciless and unrelenting, Stigmata Mali harkens back to the furious vitriol of the first wave of Black Metal. The influences of Satyricon, Nargaroth, and Marduk are alive in Funeral Winds who don’t really need an introduction at this point. This is a AAA level Black Metal album, and I would be a shitty fan if I didn’t recommend Stigmata Mali, for those whose black flame burns bright.

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