Album Review – Funeral Winds / 333 (2024)

Dedicated to the one whose name is three hundred and thirty three, the eighth studio opus by this unstoppable one-man army offers us all raw and cold Black Metal that throws the grit right in your face.

“This album is dedicated to He, whose name is three hundred and thirty three, and that thrice one.”

Poisonous and true Black Metal to the bones, the Stygian, irreligious one-man Black Metal entity Funeral Winds is the true essence of Black Metal music, staying loyal to to the original values of Black Metal, hateful and relentlessly contemptuous in sound and vision, since the project’s inception in Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, in the now distant year of 1991. Now in 2024 the unstoppable vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Hellchrist Xul (aka Maurits Jansen) returns from the pits of the underworld with his devilish eighth studio opus, titled 333, which refers to the Dweller in the Abyss, the Demon of Dispersion, also known as Choronzon. Seen as the last great obstacle between the adept and enlightenment, Choronzon needs to be faced to be able to move beyond the Abyss. Stylistically, 333 is raw and cold Black Metal that throws the grit right in your face, a worthy follow-up to all of the previous efforts brought into being by Hellchrist Xul and his Funeral Winds.

The winds of Black Metal bring to our putrid ears the venomous opening tune Sovereign of Shadows, where Hellchrist Xul doesn’t waste a single second and begin to roar manically while also offering his usual infernal riffage, exploding into the vile and obscure Eternal Nightmare, an overdose of Black Metal insanity hitting us hard with its demonic guitars and bass, pounding drums, and a strong sense that all hope is lost and that we must all succumb to the void. Cast the Gauntlet of Doom sounds even darker than its predecessors, a haunting chant where Hellchrist Xul delivers Doom Metal-inspired sluggish beats while he keeps vociferating in the name of pure evil; followed by Ancient Wrath Unleashed, a brutal Black Metal attack that exhales heaviness and sulfur, with the strident riffs by Hellchrist Xul walking hand in hand with his classic blast beats.

In The Damned Ones Shall Rise we face nonstop savagery and sulfur flowing from all instruments, another classic Funeral Winds composition that lives up to the legacy of old school Black Metal; whereas Forever Cursed and Bound brings forward four minutes of absolute evil where the project’s core Black Metal is complemented by a grim Blackened Doom vibe, perfect for banging your head in total darkness. Then get ready to be dragged into the Stygian realm ruled by Funeral Winds in Birthed By Pure Malevolence, a nonstop, visceral Black Metal onrush with Hellchrist Xul enhancing the animosity of his harsh gnarls to a whole new level. And last but not least, Hellchrist Xul will darken the skies for all eternity with the seven-minute aria Conjuration of the Blind One, with the howling winds once again opening the gates of the underworld for Hellchrist Xul’s diabolical vociferations, flowing in a vile and somber manner while also bringing forward bursts of old school Black Metal, ending in a beyond phantasmagorical vibe.

Hellchrist Xul is undoubtedly an unstoppable force of the Black Metal scene, with 333 being an amazing depiction of al his passion for the style, his talent and his hard work. Hence, don’t forget to give him and his Funeral Winds a shout on Facebook and on Instagram, to subscribe to his YouTube channel and to stream his wicked creations on Spotify, and obviously to purchase a copy of the sulfurous 333 from his own BandCamp page, from the Osmose Productions’ BandCamp page, or simply by clicking HERE. Dedicated to the one whose name is three hundred and thirty three, the new album by Funeral Winds is a continuation of Hellchrist Xul’s descent into the underworld, cementing his name as one of the driving forces of the underground scene and setting the stage for a new chapter in the coming years, remaining always true to the foundations of our beloved Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Eternal Nightmare, Ancient Wrath Unleashed and Birthed By Pure Malevolence.

Worst moments of the album: Cast the Gauntlet of Doom.

Released in 2024 Osmose Productions

Track listing
1. Sovereign of Shadows 4:01
2. Eternal Nightmare 6:02
3. Cast the Gauntlet of Doom 4:01
4. Ancient Wrath Unleashed 4:53
5. The Damned Ones Shall Rise 3:52
6. Forever Cursed and Bound 4:07
7. Birthed By Pure Malevolence 4:23
8. Conjuration of the Blind One 7:11

Band members
Hellchrist Xul – vocals, all instruments

Album Review – Dødsfall / Døden Skal Ikke Vente (2019)

An unstoppable Black Metal force from Norway returns with their long-awaited fifth album, containing 10 new unrelenting tracks of pure hate and anger.

After four years of silence, the unstoppable Norwegian Black Metal force known as Dødsfall returns with their long-awaited fifth album, entitled Døden Skal Ikke Vente, or “death shall not wait” from Norwegian, containing 10 new tracks of pure hate and anger in its best form. And their new album is the result of a huge wave of inspiration that grew up like a snowball after the release of Kaosmakt, in early 2015, resulting in a fresh and creative album holding on to their roots and the sound that was established from the very beginning on the band’s career. It can be described as a successful combination of past and present with new elements and different sources of inspiration, sounding epic, majestic and furious with a medieval touch inspired from the cold lands of the north.

Formed in 2009 in Bergen, Norway, but currently located between Gothenburg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway, Dødsfall is the brainchild of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ishtar, who together with newcomer Telal on drums (who has been playing with acts like Troll, Isvind, and Endezzma, to name a few) created a sulfurous and dark beast in the form of their new album Døden Skal Ikke Vente. Featuring a crushing, ominous album artwork by underground artist Pazuzuh, who previously worked with the band on the artwork of their album Djevelens Evangelie, from 2013, Døden Skal Ikke Vente will take you on a journey through vast, bitterly cold Norwegian lands, proving once again why Norway is and will always be the birthplace and home of true Black Metal.

Ishatr and Telal begin disturbing all peace and order with their ruthless blend of old school and contemporary Black Metal in Hemlig Vrede (or “secret wrath” in English), sounding very melodic and aggressive form the very first second and with Ishtar’s demonic gnarls being flawlessly complemented by Telal’s brutish blast beats. Their furious and thunderous Black Metal keeps hammering our heads in Tåkefjell (“fog mountain”), another piercing composition where the guitars by Ishtar sound as metallic as they can be, also presenting lots of breaks and variations, and consequently feeling like three or four songs in one; followed by the obscure and melancholic Svarta Drömmar (“black dreams”), where their Black Metal is darkly infused with Atmospheric Black Metal elements, with its rhythm being dictated by Telal’s precise drums and with highlights to Ishtar’s anguished growls.

Putting the pedal to the metal this infernal duo delivers a vicious onrush of violent and raw sounds entitled Grå Himlar (“gray skies”), with the riffs and solos by Ishtar cutting our skin mercilessly, and therefore setting the bar high for the rest of the album. Well, the duo doesn’t disappoint at all in the following track, Kampsalmer (“battle hymns”), a headbanging, marching chant showcasing bestial riffs and demonic roars all enfolded by a truly menacing ambience, and the music remains vile and sulfurous until its epic ending. Then led by the pounding drums by Telal and displaying an inspired Ishatr on the guitar we have the full-bodied, intricate tune entitled I de Dødens Øyne  (“in the eyes of death”), a song tailored for admirers of classic Black Metal who also love to raise their horns and slam into the pit in the name of extreme music.

Continuing with their feast of incendiary and dark sounds they offer us all Ødemarkens Mørkedal (“the dark valley of the wilderness”), an ode to Scandinavian Black Metal where Ishtar growls and roars in a bestial way while Telal keeps crushing his drums nonstop, whereas the heavy-as-hell guitar lines by Ishtar ignite the flammable För Alltid I Min Sjæl (“forever in my soul”), a mid-tempo Black Metal extravaganza where Ishtar and Telal are on fire from start to finish, sounding as infernal and sharp as possible. The last song of the album, named Ondskapelse (“evil hands”), brings more of their hellish Scandinavian Black Metal infused with Melodic Black Metal nuances, with Telal smashing his drums just the way we love it in Extreme Metal, flowing like rapid fire until the instrumental outro Skogstrollet (“forest troll”) captivates our senses with the howling sound of the cold wind, ending the album on an ethereal note.

You can better explore the chilly and vile realm of Norwegian Black Metal crafted by Dødsfall by following them on Facebook, and show your support to such talented duo by purchasing Døden Skal Ikke Vente (available for a full listen on YouTube, by the way) from their own BandCamp page, as well as from the Osmose Productions’ BandCamp or webstore, and from Record Shop X. Let all the frost, hatred and evil flowing from the music found in Døden Skal Ikke Vente embrace you, leading you on a fantastic and somber one-way journey into the absolute darkness and void we learned to love in Norwegian Black Metal.

Best moments of the album: Tåkefjell, Grå Himlar and I de Dødens Øyne.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2019 Osmose Productions

Track listing
1. Hemlig Vrede 4:30
2. Tåkefjell 4:54
3. Svarta Drömmar 5:29
4. Grå Himlar 4:29
5. Kampsalmer 4:50
6. I de Dødens Øyne 5:37
7. Ødemarkens Mørkedal 5:25
8. För Alltid I Min Sjæl 4:32
9. Ondskapelse 5:04
10. Skogstrollet (Instrumental) 1:04

Band members
Ishtar – vocals, guitars, bass
Telal – drums