The Netherlands is no stranger to great metal acts, as some of the most respected names in the genre hail from there. Asphyx and Pestilence are probably the most notable ones along with underrated metal masters like Pyathrosis and Dead Head, but what about Funeral Whore? Do they follow in the same footsteps as those who preceded them? They definitely do and after listening to their debut record "Step into Damnation," I would definitely say they're well on their way to joining the ranks of fellow new (well, newer) death metal bastards in Hail of Bullets.
There isn't really a specific subgenre of death metal that Funeral Whore could be pigeonholed into. There are plenty of instances when the music on "Step Into Damnation" gives off an evil kind of vibe, similar to Incantation or Immolation, but there are also several moments when the band sounds extremely similar to Entombed or Dismember, as well as glimpses of some Finndeath influence and the occasional Bolt Thrower grooving and pummeling. The first track "Eternal Genocide" definitely gravitates towards the more low-fi American death metal sound as a majority of the riffs are tremolo bursts that just ooze of early Incantation, while the very heavy vocals crush the listener in between the even heavier riffs placed occasionally through the song. The tracks "Camp Blood" and "El Salvador Death Squad" also show similiar tendencies and could be regarded as more American sounding.
The Swedeath influence is mainly present in the melodies and solos found throughout "Step into Damnation," although the track "Obidience" is pretty much Nihilist worship through and through, with the midpaced heavy riffage and d-beat drumming. Songs like "Wasteland of Corpses" (Could this be what inspired that awesome album art?) and "Threesome" all have a very heavy doom influence and these tracks wouldn't sound out of place whatsoever on a compilation of death metal from Finland. Just listen to the melody near the end of the title track, it's completely reminiscent of bands like (early) Amorphis and Convulse as it conjures a very morbid feeling. I'm glad to see that Funeral Whore are fans of Bolt Thrower too, because the groovy riff in "Failure of the Sacrifice" is absolutely brilliant, like "War Master" kind of brilliant.
As I said before, there really isn't any sort of mold that these guys are trying to fit and they're just playing music that runs the gamut of all kinds of great death metal and they're doing it incredibly well. Any fan of the aforementioned bands should have no problem with "Step into Damnation" and Funeral Whore in general.
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Highlights
"Eternal Genocide"
"The Bitch Died"
"Failure of the Sacrifice"
Final Rating
4.25/5 or 85%.