Crazy productive day on my end. You know how I know? It’s a week ago for me right now. That’s right. You’re reading this — or you’re not, in which case, meh — on Friday, Oct. 1, which is the air date for Ep. 69 of The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal. For me though it’s Sept. 24. I just turned in the playlist and the voice tracks for this show, then set up the back ends for nearly this entire week’s worth of posts, including the complete Quarterly Review and the other premieres slated between its beginning and the day after it ends. That’s next art, links, quotes, embed, tags, etc. placed for a post not going live for another week and a half for me. Feeling pretty good about that.

So while I am and before the site invariably implodes as happens almost every time I feel good about anything, here’s the playlist for this show. And it just so happens I feel really good about this too. Rocks at the start, gets super-heavy, then trips out in the second hour. It’s my kind of jam. Weird, in other words. I very, very much hope you find something in here to dig. If you’ve been keeping up with the Quarterly Review, you’ll recognize some of this for sure. And again, if not, meh. Happy October. Fall is my favorite season.

Thanks for listening if you do and/or reading. I hope you enjoy.

The Obelisk Show airs 5PM Eastern today on the Gimme app or at: http://gimmemetal.com.

Full playlist:

The Obelisk Show – 10.01.21

The Obelisk Show on Gimme Metal airs every Friday 5PM Eastern, with replays Sunday at 7PM Eastern. Next new episode is Oct. 15 (subject to change). Thanks for listening if you do.

Gimme Metal website

The Obelisk on Facebook

One will likely recognize some Monolordian intent in the lumber of Finnish three-piece Funeral for Two and the struggle of Mikke Sillanpää‘s cavernous, echoing vocals to rise through the density of tone surrounding on “The Curse of Lord,” and fair enough. The lead cut on the band’s new two-song EP, titled II as a follow-up to last year’s self-titled (discussed here) is the longer of the included pieces at 11 minutes, but “La Muerte” isn’t terribly far behind in topping 10, and while its own riffage is nothing to scoff at, the melody of the vocals is more complex in a way that demonstrates growth on the part of the band to go along with all that purposeful riffy primitivism.

It’s worth noting that Malamujér‘s Jiri Mustajärvi, who recorded the first EP, helmed these songs as well, and also stepped in to play drums. Whether that’s a permanent change or not — it was a drummer named Pete last time out — I don’t know, but as “The Curse of Lord” rolls through its encased-in-low-end procession and “La Muerte” dares a bit of more swinging fare before dropping to what sound like echoing footsteps in its last minute, Mustajärvi makes for a welcome fit.

Don’t ask me what the date is today, but I know that II is out and streaming in full, so have at it:

Funeral for Two – II – Out Now

Finnish Seinäjoki-based doom metal band Funeral For Two released their second EP named II on September 23rd 2021 via Inverse Records.

The band comments: “The second coming of a Finnish doom/stoner band, Funeral For Two. Enjoy the low tuned, slow, heavy fuzz riffed melodies. Dead silence from the dark echoes. May the Fuzz be with you.

This EP was made under the dark shadow of a ‘well known’ pandemic.. With a little help from our friend, a great musician Jiri Mustajärvi, we made it happen! He took control over the recording and mixing these songs and also played drums. Big plans for the future ahead..

Before that…stay tuned, stay slow and stay doomed!”

Listen to II EP:
Youtube: https://youtu.be/E-IKQVUsWuQ
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3hYAERY
Bandcamp: https://funeralfortwo.bandcamp.com
Tidal: https://listen.tidal.com/album/196271410
Napster: https://fi.napster.com/artist/funeral-for-two/album/ii
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3u3I8I3

Track list:
01. The Curse Of Lord
02. La Muerte

Funeral for Two on II:
Guitar/vocals: Mikke
Bass: Jetro
Drums: Jiri

https://funeralfortwo.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Funeralfortwo/
https://www.facebook.com/inverserecords
https://twitter.com/inverserecords
https://www.instagram.com/inverserecords/
http://www.inverse.fi/

Funeral for Two, II (2021)

Say the words ‘Finnish doom’ and one of two classifications will come to mind in either the pioneering death-doom of Skepticism or the traditionalism of Reverend Bizarre. Both massively influential. Newcomer outfit Funeral for Two fall into neither category, and that’s only to be considered a strength. Instead, they indulge in the kind of massive rolling riffs that show influence particularly from Monolord‘s earlier work, though their melodies are perhaps even more prevalent on “Sculpture of a Demon,” the seven-minute single that is serving as a harbinger of their upcoming self-titled debut EP. That release has been picked up by countryman imprint Inverse Records — no small expert in Finnish doom of all stripes — and will see release on Aug. 20, and while I don’t have too many more details about it than that, I do have a video they’ve put together, and that’s not nothing.

Very much not nothing, in fact. The clip is rehearsal-room footage, but it turns out I’m so starved for live music even seeing dudes jamming in their own space is thrilling at this point. Recorded by Jiri Mustajärvi of Malamujér, it is a full-toned celebration of riff worship and offers no pretense of shooting for anything other than an approving nod from its audience, which it well earns. However much more might comprise the EP, it’ll be worth finding out, whether it’s one or two tracks or if Funeral for Two‘s EP runs up against being a debut album. The single’s been on Bandcamp since April but the video just went up, so there you go, and from what guitarist/vocalist Mikke Sillanpää says below, it may be that all the songs were out there at one point and I just missed it — I suck at this; I’ve said that all along — but either way, they’ll be out in good time with Inverse‘s backing. Good doom requires patience, so be patient.

And please enjoy:

Funeral for Two, “Sculpture of a Demon” official video

Finnish Seinäjoki-based doom metal band Funeral for Two is set to release their same titled debut EP on August 20th 2020 by Inverse Records.

The band released a single and music video Sculpture of a Demon. Music video is made by Tuomas Ojajärvi and shot by Tihu The Wolf.

Vocalist/Guitarist Mikke Sillanpää comments:
I started this band as a personal project just to play the kind of music I’ve been dreaming of. Slow, Low and Fuzz. Three words you can’t go wrong!

After a while I realized that this music must be played live as a band. I asked two of my really good friends to jam with me. Soon we discovered this is the way it should be. At the beginning it was just jamming around different riffs, drinking beer and stuff like that… But recording songs was my goal from the beginning. I talked to my friend Jiri Mustajärvi, he has a homerecording studio. I had two songs to put on tape. Jiri did all the work with recording and mixing. He also played drums (because of Covid-19).

After ready with these songs they were released on bandcamp. A few days later Inverse Records wanted to work with us. We also made a video from “Sculpture of a demon”.

It’s just a simple rehearsal room video just like we wanted it to be. Our plan is to do couple of more new songs to have a full setlist.. And then it’s time for liveshows. Stay doomed!”

Funeral for Two on Facebook

Funeral for Two on Bandcamp

Inverse Records on Facebook

Inverse Records on Facebook

Inverse Records website