Towards Darkness - Barren
This is my first encounter with Montreal’s Towards Darkness (formerly known as The Mass), but just by popping the disc in you can tell you’re in for Funeral Doom. Their sophomore outing consists of four tracks that total five minutes shy of an hour, so this is either Funeral Doom or a short EP with a hidden bonus track 45 minutes after the last song. (I’ve had about enough of that shit, by the way. Just what I want when I’m driving… dead silence for who knows how long!) Album opener “The Arrival” confirms my suspicion. This is definitely Funeral Doom and there’s going to be a lot of it. Luckily the leadoff track succeeds at creating an abysmal, synth-laden atmosphere akin to the likes of scene giants Shape of Despair, a euphoric feeling of dejection at the speed of a meaningless life. Kevin Jones’ throaty scream may be considered lightweight for this genre, but it’s tormented enough to get the job one. Unfortunately after “The Arrival,” these guys waste no time wasting time, as follow-up 16-minute epic “Avenues of Manipulation” feels like an intro for eight agonizing minutes. Once the vocals kick in, the song achieves the same downtrodden majesty as its predecessor, but is the payoff worth the tedious wait if this single vibe is all the band does really well? “Holy…Dying…Lifting” is next with a more palatable length of eleven minutes, but again it feels like an eternity before it gets off the ground. Six minutes of background noise, Morse code, and lifeless dirges to begin the song? Really? And an abrupt ending to boot. The album closes with the 18-minute, ironically titled “Awakening,” and by now I get it. The band shows promise but does not have it figured out yet. Funeral Doom just might be the toughest style to pull off after all. As alluring as Barren begins, it ends up being the musical equivalent of Advil PM.
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