Religious Black Metal from Sweden, Funeral Mist, simply released the most disappointing album of 2009. “Maranatha” may not be as bad as people think, but this album came from a band who released “Salvation” and “Devilry”, two of the most notable efforts in Religious Black Metal history.

I think there might be a lot of excuses to cover the weakening of this once mighty evil force. First, it’s all about Arioch now. Stjerna is gone and so as Nachash (although info regarding the drummer is still undisclosed so we still don’t know who’s who behind the kit). I am not putting any finger on the production; I think Endarker did a great job. It might not be as sinister as what Necromorbus sounds, but still decent and leaving me no complains at all. However, the music is just plainly bad and Arioch simply proves that HE IS a vocalist!

Of course, nowadays, no one is interested buying an album worth 12 Euro just to listen on a half ass track like “Jesus Saves”. Well, this sounds like everybody’s favorite or maybe there’s nothing better in the album to pick up at all. There’s a track called “A New Light” and this even came out terrible. Starting it off with weird guitars like a sort of ‘electronic’ stuff while “White Stone” features one of the hardest palm muting I’ve ever heard in Black metal history!! Save the guitars and we have “Anti Flesh Nimbus”, a song that starts with literally useless drumbeats that sounds like a timpani and they’re echoing on a cave, fuckin’ A! I just can’t believe how bad this third Funeral Mist album is!

Another worst track to sight is “Blessed Curse”. Damn, isn’t that safe?!?! What an easy song and it even lasts for about 11 fucking minutes of repetitive mid-paced crap that I can’t even believe that this is the band that released “Salvation” in 2003! It seems that “Maranatha” contains more awful tracks than awesome tracks, huh!? But don’t count it out because the album simply features a completely amateurish photoshopped cover like any other useless photoshopped covers made by the band themselves just to save a cost. This is what you get in cost cutting, right? Well…

I don’t get it! It’s just a short disappearance and Funeral Mist seems to be losing the magic already. I even view Arioch’s personality as an active entity in Swedish Black Metal. This one failed to match any Funeral Mist previous releases. It’s just one of those below average albums that is getting all the hype. Anyway, guess again because people are like sheeps; first they’ll obey because majority in the board obeys then they will oppose when one starts to oppose!

TRACKLIST
1. Sword of Faith
2. White Stone
3. Jesus Saves!
4. A New Light
5. Blessed Curse
6. Living Temples
7. Anathema Maranatha
8. Anti-Flesh Nimbus
TIME SPAN: 53:33

WEBSITE: www.funeralmist.se

FUNERAL MIST - Maranatha : 3/10