REVIEWS
"Sincerely and wishing not be leaving me with emotion, I can say that for me is the greatest discovery of the death-doom from the 90's. In the last decade have gone really good bands but for some reason I stalled Aphonic Threnody deeper. If you know what is the real doom appreciate this magnificent work that takes you to a dark, morbid and delicious world for over an hour." - Necromance
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"They rather present the dark side of the music in the form of Doom Metal sounds. Riffs weighting tons build up like walls which seem to be inpenetrably. Halting and full of melancholic beauty they offer hopelessness and loneliness. Darkness which never elapses and which burns deep into the soul". - Extreminal Webzine
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"While listening to the pieces, resulting emotions very contrasting each other: on the one hand an oppressive sense of emptiness and helplessness, the other to achieve an inner strength capable of tackling even the last breath before passing away". - The Pit of the Damned Blogspot
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"Together with the harsh ones, which vary from growls to screams, create a vivid mosaic of soundscapes. Towards the ending, the song gears down and finishes with a doom orgasm. Fantastic! “Death Comes” is an utterly essential release for the fans of the genre". - Metal InVader
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"Just highlight "Death obsession" as the best cut of the quintet, but does not imply that the rest should be put on the back burner, or should be be heard less, more the opposite, since the ideal is to confront the monolith top to. The sounds distorted, as the pressure in deep sea, crush us completely. The lulls are listed with dropper and dispersed throughout the songs, so it's not unusual to see in its long development, let the steamroller way to melancholy way, on more than one occasion. When the album ends with the haunting sound of a shovel, who knows if digging a grave, we feel, somewhat relieved to have survived an album that has to do, more than anything, with a stampede of mammoths: tremendously heavy and distressing." - Subterraneo Heavy
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Obsession of spiritual death described in the second track infinite, of a duration of almost eighteen minutes becomes a suite and enhances psychotic delusions. And track after track take over so the parallels of virtuous arrangements solemn, sometimes a glacial pace, at other times almost poignant and thrilling.
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"Instrumentally the band scores easily. Lovely melodies unravelling in long tracks to the Funeral Doom that the band makes. The very atmospherical compositions are slowly going on and on leaving you with the beauty of darkness and the restlessness of it. Piano parts are often introducing you to a new part of the music and are transferring you easily into a new mood." - Templeores
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"In truth, the group shows this time much more inspired in his expression of tragic art. More beautiful also, in the image of 'The Children's Sleep' that captivates as much as it numbs during the last part where her features harden as frozen by the cold. Like also 'Our Way To The Ground' with which this album dies, guided by six-string of a desperate beauty, breadcrumb mortuary taking us to the grave ..." - Musicwaves
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BLACK SABBATH were the instigators of what would be later called “Doom Metal”, but it never quite flourished that much or became mainstream over the following decades… The sub-genre nonetheless developed a dedicated following and many variants including “Death-Doom”, which later gave birth to “Funeral Doom”. Such is the case of APHONIC THRENODY. They are like their brethren: Slow, melancholic and somewhat depressive-sounding. The feelings of despair, solitude and suffering are extremely present thorough the album. Each of the song are at least 10 minutes long, so there is plenty of material to review." - Metal-Temple
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"Themes of cot death and plagues are evident on ‘The Children’s Sleep’ and ‘Our Way To The Ground’ for this album seems to follow a concept of death and our traditions of burial. As the titles suggest, we see our protagonist passing on and then laid to rest deep underground with all the other lost souls in a manner that can only be put to the most melancholic of music. If you want a very sad and morose soundtrack to your funeral, this is the album you’ve been looking for" - Metal Rules
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"The dominant mood is sadness, but not the kind that is simply wallowing. Instead, it's the searching kind of sadness, the kind that tries to find beauty in the stillness and the longing. The music, however, is never simply about any one mood or feeling. As I said, it's about finding the beauty in sadness and so it moves around, taking one idea and exploring it, only to then discover a new musical idea and then develop it. " - Seaoftranquility
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"Simple to destroy traceable song structures without the mood of unexpected elements. Simply right into pleasant melancholy heart.
In my opinion an absolute listening pleasure that one has to give a try." - Splitted
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"When Death Comes" is a sonic journey more than hour, stubbornly explored the of curiosity death. Aesthetic, artful, yet disturbing and ominous. Musicians from Aphonic Threnody managed to find a balance between depressive atmosphere and a traditional beauty. There is no innovation that may hail, but it's instrumental mastery. The band burst onto the metal ground with real vigor and probably good in it to take root." - Magazyngitarzysta
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"When Death Comes still has all the gloom and a certain grandeur, cry elegance and beauty sad. Sometimes even a beautiful melody between the whole sonic darkness comes on. Great, just the beginning of "Our Way To The Ground" manages to cause me a little (pleasant) goosebumps." - Rock Times
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"The atmosphere actually acts like a single mournful wail, a lament about death and mortality." - Tombstone Webzine
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"There’s a lead guitar that emerges a lot to give a melancholic sound which transmits to us some yearning. In spite of those sad, yet beautiful, moments, Aphonic Threnody have more obscure incursions that are brought by dissonant passages comprised by a brilliancy that disturbs and contrast with the more melodic instants. It’s evident that there are lead and rhythm guitars, but those roles end to join in “The Children’s Sleep” when both guitars offer two leading compositions that are different between each one, but fit perfectly. Also, in spite of the very long songs, the repetitive riffs can give a catchy power to the album, like in the first track “The Ghost Song”.
The most attentive listeners of this doom sub-genre may find some similarities among various vocalists and they won’t be mistaken, because the deep growls are delivered by Arcana Coelestia’s Roberto M – and everything gets more emotional when the painful vocals unite with the guitar’s sense of defeat." - Against Magazine
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"The Ghost Song" From there very strong melody is quick to literally haunt us as it slowly and sorrowfully drapes itself around us from the speakers with some thick flowing guitar lines. Vocals are rough, coarse and growl like weathered bark and there is a big and epic feel about things as harmonious choral parts also join in. It’s got a timeless feel about it and is a quite accessible tune compared to the others on the album so no doubt a good pick to start off this opus. It’s powerful in emotion and atmosphere and really draws you in to its folds taking just a couple of spins to really embed itself in your head and be welcomed back fondly on repeated spins. At 18:00 minutes Death’s Obsession is a whopper of a track, it introduces a fairly strong string harmony to things, sounds like possibly a cello which adds depth to an already deep abyss dwelling number. Again it’s incredibly rich and sumptuous all round and I guess will draw comparisons to early Ahab and Evoken by instrumentation, flow and craggy vocals. Some of the drum patterns pick the pace up a bit to a doomy death morass and this has no problem stretching itself to its length without getting monotonous or having me lose interest." - Ave Noctum
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" to surprise the listener with catchy melodies, spherical transitions and heavy grunts. The influences of death metal in Aphonic Threnody to hear. As 'Dementia' a few paces was played faster, this would not be out of place, for example At The Gates. Yet it is precisely for this record delicious that this song is so stretched.
Aphonic Threnody has with When Death Comes so close to the end of the year the lovers of quality funeral doom still given a very nice present. A debut album in the genre where many another band will be jealous." - White Room
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"If the tracks are long is because the atmospheres are built over time, where the various instruments operate their strange revolution eventually leading to something almost poetic and hypnotic widely, including Death Obsession is the perfect example." - Auxportesdumetal
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"When Death Comes is, in fact, a great job, which is exactly what a fan of this kind would always hear: lines poignant guitar, keyboards enveloping, capable of evoking atmosphere solemn and dramatic at the same time, a growl of rare effectiveness, a rhythmic dynamic despite the trend is inevitably staid, and the cello, in different situations settles to the tracks further touch of melancholy and dark shades.
Undoubtedly the first half hour of the disc is amazing for the beauty of the melodic lines proposed by Riccardo, capable of plunging the listener into an inescapable feeling of pain, causing the long Death Obsession end up being an ideal extension lead to the extreme of the already stunning opening track The Ghost's Song." - Iyezine
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"Aphonic Threnody is a kind of funeral doom super group consisting of members of Urna, Arcana Coelstia, Gallow God, Pantheist and now also Mar De Grises and with guests, like someone from Esoteric. With such a line-up you’re already prejudiced coming into it. Or at least I am. I was really curious what sort of funeral doom we would get to hear. It turned out to be the atmospheric melodic kind. ‘When Death Comes’ contains five songs which clock in at a hefty 65 minutes. Quite the ride. But one which can easily be completed due to the variation within the songs and the beautiful melodies employed. Without wanting to come across negatively I would call this easy listening funeral doom. Music to dream away to and let yourself be carried away by a tranquil sea of sound. All songs are well-crafted and don’t bore for a single second even though they are long. Fans of the aforementioned bands should really give this a listen." - Lords of Metal
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"Slow, bleak and occasionally spectacular, Aphonic Threnody’s debut full-length release ‘When Death Comes’ is a muscular chunk of lumbering funeral doom. Relentlessness might be the album’s primary weapon, but there are also moments of high drama and delightful instrumentation.
With five songs, each measuring approximately a month, there are plenty of opportunities for creativity to glow through. The well-judged moments of quietude that appear throughout ‘The Children’s Sleep’, for example, demonstrate the band’s ability to create layers of aural emotion, while ‘Dementia’ is a (comparatively) frisky composition that injects life into the slow, deathly parade. The final track wraps it up perfectly: unhurried, regal, classic funeral doom that gives voice to the endless sorrows of life." - DoomMetal Heaven
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"Deeply sad melodies full of melancholy and despair, yet still full beauty - it is simply a joy to listen to this music and to be quite far away from her drive. Not once remind colleagues me of early My Dying Bride. And even if the song is not really similar, so the bands transports these scary / beautiful atmosphere that just I really appreciate! This part will be so slow to work that one can not deny the whole thing a certain proximity to funeral doom here and there! Along with the great music, this gives a magnificent body of work that grabbed me from the first bar and is committed one hundred percent in the next few weeks for continuous use in my player!" - XXLRock
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"'When Death Comes' is an unashamed Funeral Doom record with a 'melodic' umbrella and, dare I say it, 'epic' tendencies either struggling to push through, or being gently kept at bay. Great swathes of mid tempo grief carry us pensively along for just over an hour, occasionally slowing and dimishing in volume, allowing time for respite and reflection. Vocals shift effortlessly between deep, stunning growls - for the bulk of the album - to occasional clean, harmonious, ethereal passages which plead for closer attention. The rhythms are stoical and metered out like a pallbearer's leather soles on the tarmac, while the drum fills help push the epic nature of the music to the fore. The rhythm guitars are rich and full and the lead lines and vignettes as good as anything conjured up this side of 1993. As to the peripheral instrumentation, the keyboards and cello are there to clothe the sound with a comforting effect; a warmth against the coldness of the subject matter in the lyrics, which chronicle some of the more harrowing predicaments of conscious existence. The music simply helps to soothe the pain, and let you know you're not alone. To be captured by 'When Death Comes' and put to sea on its undulating waves is undoubtedly a pleasure, although this is no easy ride, being as it is a subtle document of the suffering we can come face to face with, here on earth." -
DoomMetal.com
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With "When Death Comes" serve us the guys the first, longer life characters. Funeral Doom Death Metal with paired definitely sounds always after Ahab. However, this Act is noticeably faster on the road, but has its own special charm. The mixture of spherical melodies and a so gloomy broadside reminds me of old zombie movies. Even smaller black metal influences from the Ambient camp, I can hear out very dominant here. - Metal Underground
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"Sooooo laaangsaam and tough crawling the slow sound from the upright coffins in which the noise-making caps do their baleful work. Aphonic Threnody committed to the so-called Doom Death, and as if death were not enough, there's the end of the world on top of it. Thus, the rotten barrel actually overflows, put quite meticulous Doomsters even the word Funeral before. Funeral Doom / Death Metal! You want to die? Then comes along on a journey whose end is to be sought in the world." - Metal Talks
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"You can listen to some melancholy, sometimes dreamy Funeral Doom with death metal growls, atmospheric keyboards and beautiful guitar melodies. For the most part there is slow motion. The album is reminiscent of bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema" - Crossfire Metal
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"When Death Comes" is a very interesting and densely atmospheric album. I find the mix of Doom Death and Funeral Doom with the atmospheric painting as a very attractive and successful. Despite the length and slowness of each song, the music never seems long winded, or artificially elongated. For the melodies and harmonies are both to good and moreover there is also a degree of variety. If you like funeral doom, should be able to escape with Aphonic Threnody "When Death Comes" no way!" - Hateful-metal
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"When listening to this album, you do get the feeling of being a part of a funeral procession headed to some ancient cemetery in the middle of some far away, cold desolate place. It is the arrangement of their synthesizers, cello parts and down tuned guitar rhythms that give Aphonic Threnody a feeling of sadness and the reality of death and dying. Mind you, if you’re looking for heavy metal music, you’re not going to be pleased with this band, but if you love the tragic-side of life, you’ll be drowning “When Death Comes’” chronic auditory misery." - Explicitlyintense
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"Let your imagination run wild a little bit. Six musicians from all over the world come together, all of them experienced, all of them played in more or less obscure Doom Metal bands of every colour, some in Post or Black Metal bands as well. These six put all their passion, all their energy and all their love into the creation of music of a special kind. How does this music might sound? Well, it must sound like APHONIC THRENODY on their first full length album “When Death Comes”. To be honest: the scenario I gave you fits exactly to APHONIC THRENODY, and their music is a journey into despair and sadness. Five extra long songs here, none of them less than ten minutes in length, in more than an hour already give a hint on the way the wind blows. And from the first chords of 'The Ghost's Song', tristesse de luxe and overwhelmingly deep desolation capture the listener, having a deep impact on the mind. To give you a vague description of what you have to expect: Funeral Doom Metal meets the doomiest of Death Metal, garnished with heartwarmingly sad guitar melodies, epic piano and keyboard sounds and a cello of doom. Sometimes it's more like the mighty AHAB, sometimes early MY DYING BRIDE come to mind, the latter especially due to the deeply grunting vocals, who are more an extra instrument than classic vocals. And overall it's just a mesmerizing trip through the abysses of dark and gloomy feelings, that captivates every second. With “When Death Comes”, APHONIC THRENODY created one of the most fascinating Doom Death albums in years. Just listen to the final epic 'Our Way To The Ground' and you'll see what I mean." - Voices from the Darkside
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"From the haunting opening words of 'The Ghost Song' to the majestic sweeping keyboards and guitarwork, this is a massive 10 minutes of doom inspired, near symphonic, dark and brooding music.
Coming in at just over 17 minutes is 'Death Obsession', just stunning in its beauty with mournful cello and piano then this slow, pounding drum pattern kicks in as does the powerful yet restrained guiter playing.
A dark and evil growl vocal then forces it way through creating this melancolic ambience, this is a huge piece going way beyond the normal doom genre, its almost gothic rock but with a sinister edge.
'Dementia' may have a "funeral" pace but the quality of the music keeps it alive and some fantastic guitar playing towards the end!
Playing like a lullaby from hell the start of 'The Childrens Sleep' soon picks up to a nightmare inducing vocal, over powerchords and some serious riffing. The final track 'Our Way To The Ground' again creates this instant ambience with just a simple piano refrain, this false sense of laid back security is disturbed after a couple of minutes when the rest of the band explode through the speakers! I have not heard Doom like this for a long time, the combination of instruments and a first class production elevate this way beyond any expectations of the genre.This is almost a hybrid of Gothic, Symphonic, Ambient rock music blended with traditional Doom elements. Rating 10/10" - Stu's Reviews
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"APHONIC THRENODY is rich with experience, the members effortlessly weave tales of doomy despair and longing, drenched with emotions. This is brilliant doom metal that takes influences from all over and gives it its own expression. It has the UK classic doom/death influences, Belgian atmosphere and lastly Italian artistry. It doesn’t owe too much to any scene nor does it lean too much towards the typical funeral doom or death/doom style. It retains an elegant sound that’s certifiably doom but is also crisp, pregnant with feelings and relatively upbeat. Atmosphere-wise it’s comparable to the Finnish bands but the pace is faster and there’s better poise and restraint because the band doesn’t overindulge and saturate everything. Throughout the band’s debut full length, the members use their developed skills to keep it tasteful and fresh." - Nefariousrealm
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"Aphonic Threnody plays a style of funeral doom metal that is very slow, heavy and dark while also bringing in influences from early 90's doom/death metal as well as adding in prog and ambient elements to create an album with its own style, the production sounds very dark and heavy while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes. In my opinion Aphonic Threnody are a very great sounding funeral doom metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording." - Hatredmeanswarzine Blogspot "This debut album comes courtesy of a six-member supergroup, comprised of members from the UK, Italy, Hungary and Belgium. With all five tracks clocking in over the 10-minute mark, be prepared for some super slow Funeral Doom in the vein of Mournful Congregation. There is atmosphere galore on these tracks with keyboards providing melody atop the doom, while the gravelly vocals are a bit buried in the mix. This is a good soundtrack for your commute across the grim, frostbitten wasteland that you call your hometown." - The Blog of Doom
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"Funeral doom fans use many words to describe the genre’s music: expansive, atmospheric, emotional, deep, crushing, depressing, evocative, etc. The list goes on and on. Funeral doom detractors use only three words: boring as fuck. If the words Mournful Congregation carry no meaning for you, you’re probably in the latter group and may benefit from turning back now. The remaining few of you will probably enjoy Aphonic Threnody’s full-length debut, When Death Comes. Last year’s EP, First Funeral, was well-received in funeral doom circles (which do indeed exist), and When Death Comes is a continuation of that beautifully morose (or is it morosely beautiful?)". - The Toilet ov Hell
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released November 15, 2014
"When Death Comes" is the first full-lenght album of the band.
During September 2014 the band released a video in collaboration with the Dutch director Jérôme Siegelaer, photographer and filmmaker, whose past videos include collaborations with the late Selim Lemouchi (The Devil’s Blood) and Enslaved (for the song “Thoughts Like Hammers”). The video entitled Meditation On Earth, features a performance by dancer and actress Judit Ruiz Onandi (with choreography by Jelena Kostic) filmed on location in the Dutch countryside, where Ms. Onandi spent considerable time writhing in the black sands of X.
The artwork of the album has been released in collaboration with the indie photographer Valeria Spiga [www.valeriaspiga.com] and the illustrators at The 13th Sign [www.13sign.blogspot.de]
Some guests collaborated with the band recording some parts on two of the five tracks. Greg Chandler (Esoteric) and David Unsaved (Ennui) played on "The Children's Sleep" and Josh Moran (Vacant Eyes) on "Dementia".
The release that has been booked on October the 31st, 2014.
APHONIC THRENODY "When Death Comes"
RICCARDO Guitars & Bass
KOSTAS Keyboards & Piano
ABEL Cello
MARCO Drums
ROBERTO Vocals & Lyrics
Guest appearance by:
GREG CHANDLER [courtesy of ESOTERIC] Guitars on “The Children’s Sleep”
JOSH MORAN [courtesy of VACANT EYES] Guitars on “Dementia”
DAVID UNSAVED [courtesy of ENNUI] Backing Vocals on “The Children’s Sleep”
This album has been recorded by the Aphonic Threnody Collective in different locations between Summer 2013 and end of Winter 2014. Mixed & mastered in Italy by Marco at 322 Studio [www.322studio.it].