I remember my first experience with Funeral Doom Metal, along one of my many YouTube crusades I hit the wall of slow paced fury that is Ahab, it’s safe to say that my mind was blown. From here I have found a penchant for the irrepressibly sombre, drab and miserable through not only Funeral Doom but Drone and DSBM also. I still look to witnessing Sunn O))) live as one of my all time greatest gig experiences, the sheer captivating hypnosis of such loud and destructive music is a power many attest to achieve.

Rising in 2012 and flying the flag for the Georgian metal scene Ennui have come to unleash their fourth full length album through Non Serviam Records. This masterful duo have worked tirelessly at their Death/ Doom blend since their very inception, however End Of The Circle seems to mark an important milestone, being the follow up to 2015’s Falsvs Anno Domini the wait has been much like their music, long and painful.

Boasting just three tracks and running for over an hour it is obvious that Ennui aren’t messing about with their alliance to crushing Funeral Doom. The opening titular epic is nothing short of mesmerizing, huge doom laden slab like riffs drag a punishing heaviness that seems to unearth a sort of macabre melody. This emotive, powerful dirge is only reinforced by the guttural, ultra low Death Metal inspired vocals that sound similar to gravel being spilled into fresh concrete. At points the album even takes a turn into dare I say Dark Ambient waters becoming nigh on relaxing in its melancholy stricken prowess.

The following two tracks act as a two part symphony under the heading The Withering, both of which continue the trend of morose, pained vocals and dissonant guitars that glisten with melody, even to the obscured nature of solos and mild technicality. If anything this album goes to show that there is more to this sort of slow metallic carnage than one might suspect, this isn’t just an album, it’s a composition of fruitful labour at the hands of a truly talented duo.

Funeral Doom Metal is always one of those genres that I know I should listen to more than I do and I feel as if End Of The Circle has affirmed that for me. Sometimes sitting down to encapsulate oneself in this form of ethereal music can seem tiresome but equally it gives a full body experience that cannot be replicated in the increasingly speedy forms of most Metal, it’s a different feeling but one that can be appreciated, especially from the mind of a music nerd.

(8/10 George Caley)

https://www.facebook.com/bandEnnui

https://non-serviam-records.bandcamp.com/album/end-of-the-circle-pre-order