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I don't often fuck with funeral doom, as it's a genre largely kept to mood music and as such I'm only really well versed in a handful of bands. Still I'm always curious of anything that drops in my inbox, and there was just something about Faal that stuck out to me from the get go. Maybe it was the album title coupled with the vivid artwork, whatever it might have been I was all ears from the start.

Upon the first spin I was surprised that the production wasn't as crushing as I had first expected, although I guess when you're introduced to the genre via bands such as Thergothon and Tyranny not much is going to sound that crushing. I've actually found Faal to have a decidedly black metal tinge to their brand of funeral doom, and it really makes The Clouds Are Burning stand out. The melodies contained within forty-five minutes are soul destroying and absolutely superb. There are also some moments where the drums pick up to a faster double kick which is akin to dirt being shoveled over a coffin. Don't let that give out any type of misconception though; this album is largely slow and menacing.

There's of course a death metal element to the sound on The Clouds Are Burning, which is cool, and rings out particularly in the suffocating "The Incistance Wish". I think Faal do a pretty good of keeping the attention as well, as whilst this is obviously slow burning the band vary their sound, with the inclusion of both black and death metal elements as previously stated which range from blast beating to tremolo-picked melodies.

To be honest, I think The Clouds Are Burning is a pretty fucking killer release. Everything about the album is just great, the mix of style into their brand of funeral doom, the heart-crushing melodies, the passionate growls; funeral doom fans and doom/death metal fans should pick this up without hesitation. A slab of stark magic that should be able to be appreciated outside of its parent genre.