Nary an intro or elongated buildup found on Dawn Of Annihilation, for none are needed! ‘Terrorspawn’ screams from the speakers guitars like so many mistles streaking across the sky, underpinned by the artillery of bass and drum, Voidbringer’s Angelripper/Araya-born commands barked sharp and undeniable across the field of battle. This is the sort of black/death hybrid upon which I thrive, and is needed after a day of work, perfect for a mental purge.

Mind, not that all is Neanderthalic here, ‘Oneiric Perversion’ shot through with blatantly intricate passages, managing not to lose a blood drop of brutality in the process. Make no mistake, there’s a lot happening in what FUNERAL CHANT is offering up, it’s just that the foursome never forgets that they are, above all, doing death metal, and thus packs enough wallop and wickedness into the tunes to keep the aggro on high. After keeping things around the 3-4 minute mark thus far, I’ll confess to wondering how the band would fill the 6:07 of ‘Xenophonic Transmission’. Turns out I shouldn’t have, as the surprisingly clean solo work and interplay of duo Doom Of Old and Voidbringer tantalizes until at 2:27, when a riff worms its way into your cranium, attaching itself, the rhythm section of Cruel Force and Infernal Spectre right alongside – or under – those then tumbling off into a near-psychedelic, slow-burn freakout, making this one of my favorite death metal tunes of the past few months. This sort of camaraderie, tightness between players cannot be faked.

The most overtly black metal-influenced bullet from the barrel here is ‘Malefic Reign’, FUNERAL CHANT converted to full-auto and reveling in its own, self-induced war. ‘Lucifuge Domain’ continues the carnage, brutal for the sake of it, but again the rhythm section proving itself indispensable to the force, almost making me wish I was a better (or any sort of) drummer, so as to wrap my head around what’s going on.

Ending as it began, Dawn Of Annihilation concludes with ‘Serpent Pact’, and I’ll conclude with this; if you’re looking for precision and pummel in equal amount, this album fits the bill. Hysterical at times, hazy at times, but always, always fucking relentless.
Review By: Lord Randall

FUNERAL CHANT
Dawn Of Annihilation
Carbonized Records
4.5 / 6