Review Summary: Ever wonder what it would be like to get hit by and 18-wheeler? Well, this is it.
The time has come my friends. After 17 long, grueling years, Funebrarum is finally back with their third full-length album,
Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence. I never thought this day would come personally. After the absolute classic,
The Sleep of Morbid Dreams, the band disappeared into a black abyss. That being said, it would've put the highest note to go out on, considering that TSOMD is not only one of the best death metal albums of the 2000s, but of all-time. It was disappointing though because it was clear that the band was one of the very best that death metal had to offer. All that being said, when it was announced that they were returning after their long slumber, nobody was more excited than I was. And that excitement has come to a head because
Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence is the best death metal album of 2026 so far and possibly the best of the year regardless of genre.
After a brief, less than two-minute intro, the title track hits like a ton of bricks, revealing that the band has lost none of its luster that was present on the first two albums. Gurgling vocals, absolute mammoth riffage, deep basslines, insane solos and bludgeoning drumming take the forefront, and all of a sudden, it's like the guys never left at all. The production here is absolutely perfect and sounds like the album was recorded deep in a muddy bog somewhere in the deepest pits of Hell. It has that classic old-school feeling while still adding a modern flare. It is just lo-fi enough to please fans of the vintage old-school death metal sound, but everything is clear and concise. The death doom element is still very much intact as well with multiple instances of the boys slowing it down to an almost funeral doom pace at times a la bands like Spectral Voice or Worm. Each and every track has those transitions that give the album an element of semi-surprise while never sacrificing the flow or pacing.
Funebrarum is so back boys. After such a long layoff, it could be expected that they'd come back with something lackluster or not quite up to their standards, but honestly,
Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence stands up to the very best death metal that the 2020s have had to offer thus far. It's brutal, it's fast, it's doomy and it's an all around assault on the ear drums. Every single track has something different to offer. A banger riff here or a solo there, it has everything death metal fans could hope for in 2026. None of that boring mid-paced, chug-fest, one-note BS that bands like Frozen Soul are putting out nowadays. This is death metal in its absolute purest and most devilish form. The guys are back and kicking ass and taking names, and hopefully, they are here to stay for the long haul.
