In the dictionary next to 'Funeral Doom' it says 'see Pantheist, noob.' I mean, what else is there to say about one of the pillars of a genre? Following in the footsteps of the legendary Thergothon, Pantheist are one of the mainstays of a very underground, and underrated genre. "O Solitude" was their first full-length album, and it carried Funeral Doom into the new millenium with a slow and heavy tread.

The expected elements are all here: the slow, crushing riffs, the melodic keys, the vocals that alternate between a depressed growl and a depressed monotone. What is surprising is the things Pantheist do that are not usually found on Funeral Doom albums: faster riffs that engender headbanging, and drums that kick faster than once per minute. On the huge opening track, and then on the monumental fourteen minute "Don't Mourn", Pantheist show off Doom epics that actually kick into a higher gear now and again, even bordering on Death Metal sounds in places, before they slooooow back down and crush you to death again. The other three songs are not quite as innovative or compelling, and the interminable "Curse The Morning Light" wears a bit thin after eighteen minutes, but really, Pantheist never drop the ball, and it is plain why this album is one of the first three people mention when they talk about Funeral Doom. Defining and essential.