The compilation Fo(u)r Burials was originally released in 2008 — and is being marketed as the most extreme “doom” collection ever. Flenser Records is a San Francisco label that has just re-released the disc. Well hell’s bells — that was a description that caught my eye, and I had to check out just how “deathly” this compilation was.
I hate to make this joke, but I have to. The career of the likes of Justin Bieber is a far more frightening prospect to me than anything on this album. There are plenty of the dreaded “descending Satanic tritones” (as Johann Matheson described them in the 18th century). Probably the most well-known example of this sound is the song “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath. It was considered beyond evil by some; the chord progression itself supposedly summons Lucifer upon command.
Well, we all know how that went. It appealed to those who had had enough of the Up With People gang — and good grief, many of those people even enjoyed a bong-hit or two as well. As far as turning anyone into a living gargoyle though, as far as I can tell it was only Ozzy’s prodigious drug-taking that had any lasting effect. And then one day G.W. Bush invited him to the White House.
So let’s move away from the selling of this as the most evil recording one could possibly imagine, and actually listen to it. What we have here are four pretty great (and lengthy) tracks. There is no question that this music is intended for a specific audience. I think that was a mistake, but then again, I wouldn’t know how to market it any better than Flenser, with statements like, “This four-track album reeks of desolation, the gnashing of teeth, and virulent decay.” Well, okay, but then again, I used to be afraid of Mortiis.
With band names such as Mournful Congregation, Loss, Orthodox, and Otesanek, what the freak else are you going to do? The problem is, all four of these groups deserve a lot more attention than being shoved into the “demonic” ghetto.
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