| Promo 2001 (Promo) | 2001 | None |
This review contains some wrong information. Originally the release year was listed as 2004, but it was released in 2001. This is now corrected. The material reviewed is therefore not "recent" but rather early. Furthermore, several people have asked labels about purchasing this release. Note that if you have read this review closely, it says that this is NOT an official release. Obviously it is not for sale by the band, or any label or mailorder. Do NOT bother them with questions about this release.
At last the obscure Finnish doom torturers Stabat Mater have "released" something with more than one track. Well, released isn't actually the right word, as this promo was only spread out to a handful of people, only to be spread on the internet later by digital doom enthusiasts. In any case, what's done is done, so why not take the oppurtunity and take a look at the band's recent material?
Connaisseurs will immediately recognise the song 'Give Them Pain' as the Stabat Mater part of the brilliant 'Worship / Stabat Mater Split' that came out in 2002. This version is slightly different from that version, however, so it's no simple re-release of a limited track.
Now that we have multiple songs together on one release, we can judge if the band can keep it's own outside of the split-release environment. And it most certainly can. The style of all of the songs are similar to the one heard on the previous tracks, the songs consisting of heavy riffs, deep grunts, freaky guitar work here and there, and some samples and effects thrown in for good measure. The intro and outro are very obscure, with (reverse) speaking, feedback and other effects. 'Above Him' starts out with distant chanting, before launching into one of those dirty riffs we are used to from the band. Most of the 17-minute song is based around this riff, with some variation in samples and a great lead-guitar development of the riff towards the end. 'Chambers Of Torture' is about the same in style.
'Give Them Pain', as I said, is a bit different from the older version, in the respect that it's a little shorter (lacking the ambient static) and that the guitar work and vocals are more in style with the rest of this release, and therefore a bit heavier than the ones on the older version. The sick samples of the screaming lady and the flogging are still there, of course, much to my sadistic glee (and that of other sick minds). I think I like this version about the same as the old one, and my guess is that it would be the best if the old, longer version, was combined with the new musicianship to make it into an optimal result. However you look at it, this remains one of the most disturbing doom songs ever made.
All in all, after a few releases, Stabat Mater have really managed to convince me that they're a force to be reckoned with. They make relatively simple, extreme doom attractive with their atmosphere and good use of samples and variation. The band, in my opinion, is now right up there with the likes of Thergothon and Worship as far as sick, slow and low doom is concerned. I'm looking forward to a real album!
1. Intro
2. Above Him
3. Chambers Of Torture
4. Give Them Pain
5. Outro
Approx. 41 minutes
| Worship / Stabat Mater Split (10") | 2002 | Painiac Records |
Worship is a cult band known for their extreme musical expressions. Their suicidal and self-tormenting lyrics combined with the claustrophobic and disheartening bleakness create an auditory experience that can no longer be called music. I'm having a hard time putting words on what this piece of cruel sound is, but whatever it is, it is truly one of the sickest works of audio torture.
Stabat Mater is less known and slightly less distorted as well. This Finnish band is extremely obscure and it seems that no one really knows who they are. After releasing this piece of music I can well understand why.
As I listen to this track for what seems like the millionth time, I am still not prepared for what I am about to hear. It begins with an interlude with radio fuzz, and if you listen carefully you can hear the very faint screams in the background that give you a little hint of what is to come. A dark, sadistic voice rumbles ominously, and almost godlike. This is the master speaking. And for every master there has to be a slave...
It is here that the incomprehensible comes into play. Two long sections of flogging, hellish screams, sobbing and truly realistic howls of pain gnaws its way straight into the heart root. This is absolutely the most sadistic creation in the metal genre that has ever been done. When the outro comes and the aura of the torture chamber fades into radio fuzz again, it is a relief. This is definitely not recommended to the weak of heart.
I'm left behind with a reflection on the two tracks of horror that have come to pass during the last twenty minutes. It is night and I have to go to bed. It is probably better to face the images and go upstairs to invoke the inevitable nightmare.
Worship:
1. Song For Our Slaves-In The Name Of Selfkrucifixion
Stabat Mater:
2. Give Them Pain
Approx. 21 minutes
| Mournful Congregation / Stabat Mater Split (7") | 2002 | Painiac Records |
Mournful Congregation celebrates a decade of Doom this year and this will be accompanied by an all new full length later this year. Luckily, we get a bit of a teaser in the form of 'A Slow March To The Burial' on this excellent new split 7".
I think it is safe to say that although the song lacks a bit of the epic feel that was present on the last two releases, it is the most solid effort by the band to date. 'A Slow March To The Burial' is just that, and yet so much more. The listener is swept away instantly and sees, feels and exists through the lyrical boy at his father's funeral. The impressionistic lyrics and translation of experience to music form one captivating whole that plods along at the metaphorical funeral pace. It has quickly become one of Doom Metal's clichés, but rarely have I heard it executed so simple, yet so well. After hearing this one can only be anxious for 'The Monad of Creation', which will see the dark of night later as the Earth drags its course around the accursed sun...
And now… Stabat Mater are a bit of an enigma still. Little information can be found on the net about these Finnish doom mongers, and their work has been thus far released through splits with other bands (this one and the one with Worship). Perhaps this will change in the future, but at the moment things are a bit vague.
The music speaks for itself though. Where their previous song 'Give them pain' was a little disturbing because of the samples of ladies in a tight situation involving whips, this song is more basic. Slow doom with grunts, riffs and sporadic leads make up 'Gates' which at first seems a bit boring, but manages to engrave itself in your mind so that it becomes a very mellow, pleasing track to listen to. Quite the opposite of its predecessor, I must say, but interesting nonetheless. In short, nothing quite remarkable, but I have a suspicion that Stabat Mater will be able to surprise us sometime in the future with a new trick up their sleeve. As a side note, I just have to mention the oneliners that Painiac engraves into each of its releases. Look for them in the center of your record. This one has:
"The tagedy of man is…what dies inside himself while he still lives." A great touch!
Mournful Congregation:
1. A Slow March To The Burial
Stabat Mater:
2. Gates
Approx. 14 minutes
| Church Of The Flaggelation (Split Cassette) | 2004 | Catacomb Music |
Finnish Doom enigma Stabat Mater is relatively stingy with releases, and even more so with information. Not only is their field for band info completely empty, we don't even get a song title this time. What we do get is some trademark extreme Doom, which follows in line of the previous split releases and the promo which circulates on the internet. The band provides us with heavy, dirty riffing, obscure vocals and a chaotic ending to a relatively short song. Although this is again not the most intense or original Doom, Stabat Mater always manage to please me with their material. I'm still waiting for that surprise though...
Bunkur is of a wholly different character. These Dutch mammoths crushed friend and foe with their immensely long and crushing debut, the aptly named 'Bludgeon', and are back with a vengeance. I must admit I wasn't too impressed with the first release, but I think the band succeed a lot better with this new track. Clocking well over 30 minutes, "Devolve" is another one of those giants. The stretching out of song structures and riffs so that the melody is barely perceptive is something that goes against your musical common sense, but Bunkur make it into an art. While still leaning very heavily upon the style developed by Winter, the band is shaping its own niche in today's extreme Doom scene, and will probably keep on growing.
Malasangre is a relatively unknown band from Italy, and they play a style of doom that fits in perfectly with the rest of this release. This is their first release in three years and it's quite a huge track. Expect some very heavy riffs, sick vocals, out-of-tune keyboards and fitting samples in this obscure mix of dirty and Doom. Simply good!
But the highlight of the compilation is "Seas That Swallowed The Night...". The Sad Sun is a collaboration of Stijn van Cauter and E.M. Hearst and that is clearly audible. This project combines elementes from, among others, The Ethereal, Torture Wheel and Until Death Overtakes Me, and the result is over 19 minutes of uncompromising, crushing and bleak Funeral Doom. Distorted screams and leads rend your tinniti, while you are beaten into submission by the underlying mass of pure musical weight. I'm getting metaphorical again, so you know it's gonna be good... I urge S. and E.M. to churn out some more of this horrible, yet appealing bile.
There isn't much to conclude. You get all of this, formatted in a professional MC release, for only 5 euros or $7 including shipping. Don't hesitate and strike while you can. Contact Catacomb Records on this adress: intothecatacomba@lycos.com.
Stabat mater:
1. (untitled)
Bunkur:
2.Devolve
Malasangre:
3. Revelation CCXXXIX
The Sad Sun:
4. Seas That Swallowed The Night...
Approx. 65 minutes