REVIEWS
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"The powerful, low guitar roar burdened by imitations of funeral bells and from time to time the passing into the plaintive, lingering modulations, unhurried rhythms pressing by dense percussions, gloomy, the deaf, distressed vocal, oppressing even more than music the and giving out the whole scale of a negative - sufferings, despair, madness - this in the total creates the fantastically realistic picture of the soul bearing heavy burden of loss, striking with the depth and tragic element." - Artmania-journal.blogspot
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"Roberto Mura's vocals are monstrous in this song, reminding many times the vocals of Aaron from My Dying Bride in its earliest phase. Actually the sound of this track is very reminiscent of the bands of Doom / Death of the early 90s. Being surrounded by a harrowing atmosphere is what we can summarize the song "Ruins" presented by aphonic Threnody." - Funeral Wedding
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"First up is Aphonic Threnody's 'Ruins'. At a shade over 20 minutes, it's more ambitious than any of the pieces on recent debut 'First Funeral', and does a good deal to further cement their status as a Doom 'supergroup'. All four musicians are veterans, with outstanding credentials to their names, and it shows in the way they almost effortlessly fill the allocated time with a darkly hypnotic and enticing vision. True to Funeral roots in the way that the mid-tempo but stately drumbeats anchor a guitar line that weaves around, and constantly returns to, its main theme; there is nonetheless little sense of minimalism in the accompanying layers of lush keyboard, bass flourishes, and ornamentation from the guitar and drums. Over it all, hoarse, rasping vocals and cold whispers convey the lyrical images of the darker side of religion with an appropriate contempt and horror. The overall sound is so full and balanced that it took a while to realise that it actually lacked the cello of 'First Funeral'. A little more polished and smooth, a little less raw, than that outing, it's a highly worthy progression. " - Doom Metal.com
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"Moreover, three-quarters of an hour of music, contained in only two tracks testify to how much meat there is a fire inside of this excellent work dedicated to funeral doom-death darker and more melancholy.
The split opens with twenty minutes of Ruins, by the aphonic Threnody, Never as in this case, the union of these great individuality produces a sum of values ​​appropriate to the expectations, giving an excellent piece that goes to place beyond the level achieved with the standard already listed band of origin: Ruins is a veritable compendium these experiences with which, adhering fully to the dictates of the British school, the aphonic Threnody make the lesson steeped in decadent lyricism given twenty years ago by My Dying Bride, recreated with the necessary competence and getting a somewhat unexpected result, this is the involvement produced by this piece, able to grow exponentially up to exalt the characteristics of the genre in a magnificent ending. " - Iyezine
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"As anyone who has dabbled in this genre should expect, the music is anchored by a weight that’s bigger than the ship itself — huge, pulverizing chords and drum strikes powerful enough to cause soft tissue damage. Much of the song is actually driven by the power of the bass — the riveting sound of which you can feel in your spine.
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But what makes or breaks music like this — especially a song of this length — are the melodies and the contrasts. And the desolate, dismal refrains in this song are penetrating and resonant, made all the more memorable by the array of vocal overtones, both bestial and clean (and harshly whispering), and by the keyboard contributions, which add an element of ghostly incorporeality to music that is devastatingly physical at its core. You walk through the crumbling ruins Aphonic Threnody have created with a sense of wonder." - No Clean Singing.
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"Fueled by a supremely bitter and very primal growl, this is the kind of doom band who capture the heart and then drag it to hell. Incredibly emotional in their raw heaviness, this is what doom should be about. The riffs here are simply top notch, clearly defined and ready to support a colossal bottom end. The groups twenty minute long opus provides a beautiful look into the bleak world of funeral doom. Yet somehow, there is a triumphant, otherworldly beauty to be had here." - Two Guys Metal
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"Both Aphonic Threnody and Ennui have an entertaining variety of doom metal. Over top of a heavy dirge tempo of doom with wailing guitars similar to the ultra emotional work of Esoteric. This variance in the sound makes both bands pleasing to listen to and the gloomy atmosphere much more effective. Now I can see why there is a picture of a funeral on front. It makes sense and all fits within an aesthetic. If one desires doom played to the beat of sorrow and mourning then there is a band which will slowly tear you to pieces." - TapeWyrm metal.
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