Funest - Desecrating Obscurity

FUNEST - Desecrating Obscurity (MORBID GENERATION Records LP 2016)

Unbelievably, for so many years I did not care much for the Italian death metal scene, but past decade actually did bring some Spaghetti death bands that I became fan of. Starting with Into Darkness and Undead Creep and then also such Horrid, Daemoniac or Profanal. Finally, we also have Funest, whose 2014 "Desecrating Obscurity" belongs to the best death metal that Italy has even spawned. I like to come back to this album every so often and it always gives me a nice kick. Sadly, it seems that Funest is no longer active, since they did not record anything since that debut album... but that is also something some Italian bands have in common - lack of longevity and too quick decease. 

Anyway, "Desecrating Obscurity" is an album that easily fits my musical preferences. Funest performs pure and straight forward old school, rotten death metal, which equally takes the influence from the old Swedish scene (Entombed, Interment, Dismember and so on) as it does from Autopsy. There's obviously absolutely nothing in this music what would surprise you, speaking of the songs or riffs. Even the production is insanely "Swedish" (buzzsaw guitar tone, vicious vocals, gruesome atmosphere...). But what matters here is that Funest absolutely kicks ass with this album and they have that quality, which personally I am always looking for. There's a great vibe in these songs, plenty of vicious and nasty death metal, fast and neckbreaking, but also slower and more crushing stuff... And just a bit of melody to make things more interesting, especially if they come with brute, relentless force. With songs like "Buried and Forsaken", Funest immediately tells me that this is my kind of death metal. And I enjoy this record a lot. Blasts are awesome, doomy riffs like those in "Catacomb Torture (Mutilator from the Grave)" are absolutely great too... I really have nothing to moan about this record. Vinyl is pressed on red wax, which gives some colour to the whole black / white design of the sleeve... It is just cool stuff. But I would like to hear more from Funest! 

Standout tracks: "Catacomb Torture (Mutilator from the Grave)", ”Darkened Genesis, "Buried and Forsaken", “Deranged Baptism” 

Verdict: 80/100