Fractured Spine_logo







f.s.


 
   







'Laments of the Deceased'

Fractured Spine_Laments of the Deceased

(Phoenix Records - May 1st, 2024)










MARK: 95/100




   

Prologue
   
10 years afterthe release of the sophomore full-length "Memoirs of A Shattered Mind", video-reviewed here ("https://youtu.be/Eh3XPVBu3JI"), which was followed by a handful of singles and EPs, the Finnish duo turns up again with an album containing 8 tracks, one of which already dropped as a single.
For those who are not familiar with Fractured Spine, it is a group playing a sort of experimental Death/Doom Metal injected with Gothic Metal influences and a massive use of synths that make every single release a one-of-a-kind experience. As a matter of fact, the Kirjavainen cousins have always struggled to deliver Extreme Metal compositions that remind us of their homeland without stealing or mimicking musical ideas from artists and bands dealing with the aforementioned genres.

   

Package version and other versions available
   
The version I received is a limited edition digipak CD that the combo decided to issue after being submerged by multiple requests for a physical format.
It features an elegant, comfortable pocket made to lodge a 12-page booklet.

There is currently no vinyl version for this album, while it is amply available on the most known specialized digital platforms.

   

Visual aspect
   
Responsible for the artwork is Timo Kirjavainen (one of the 2 vocalists), except for the one of the songs that were previously released as singles. In this case Timo worked with Katarina Julkunen.

The front cover artwork is based on colours that make you think of the cover artwork of Dissection's "Storm of the Light", which was based on black, white, violet and dark blue, yet the similarity ends here as the concepts treated are totally different.
This front cover of the case portrays an armed man wearing an army beret walking towards a foggy cloud standing in front of an uninhabited partially collapsed palace surrounded by a winter nordic landscape on a day characterized by bad weather. On the right an electric pole is visible, whereas on the centre-left we can see a fallen tree. The scene seems a walk towards death but it actually symbolizes the ruin of the life that one of the two members of the band has gone through recently.

The back cover is similar but the man is absent and replaced by the indistinct figures of a woman and 2 or 3 children. There are also the titles of the tracks and the label's logo.
The inner tray is like that, while the disc has a predominance of the blue replacing the violet of the original artwork.


The first page of the booklet is like the front cover of the digipak, and the last page is the same as the back cover.
On the second page is a cemetery with a bench, both digitally drawn and effected to remind us of a painting. The lyrics, just as on the other pages, are written in capital letters, while the titles of the tracks are in italics.
The third page contains the same drawing as the front cover, BUT it is not winter anymore, grass is growing, and the main colours are black, highlighter green and a quite intense yellow. The feeling delivered is the one of a man proceeding towards a radioactive environment after a fall-out. This time the protagonist, the soldier, wears a helmet. The idea for this artwork came from the listen of Sentenced's "Warrior of Life".
The fourth page contains the real photo of a black and white statue in front of a residential building. The person represented is a crying woman sitting with her legs crossed while her hands try to hide her face looking down stricken by sadness.
On the fifth page we see some tiles tainted with blood spots, but on that floor there are also a whip probably used to scourge someone or maybe for self-scourging. At the centre stands a book titled 'Raamatu' (The Bible in Finnish).
The sixth page is occupied by the digital drawing of a half skeleton that looks horrified after realizing what he has become and how we are beyond salvation in the midst of the ruin we have caused to our decaying bodies. He is the narrator of the song "Lost to Us". It is a symbol of mankind itselfwho has chosen greed and pursuit for personal gain instead of taking care of this planet of ours that gave us life in the first place. We did not work together to improve things but against each other as our ego was too big for any deeper insight for that matter.
Another digital drawing appears on the 7th page, transmuted by a watercolour effect. The person there is a naked-chested man, whose head is covered by a horned goat's skull making Baphomet's gesture with his right hand. He has a really long black beard, his hands are blackened. Behind him are trees, among which one broken to leave a bifurcation. The idea is taken from Baphomet's picture, which symbolizes the occultistic notion "As above, so below", representing the duality of this world, its events and us people ourselves. Everything has a light and a dark aspect to it, there cannot be one without the other.
The 8th page includes another digital drawing with a watercolour effect. There is a man walking on the water of a lake to the horizon. A solitary tree is present far on the left, just as Fractured Spine have accustomed us to seeing in their previous works.
The 9th page comprises a plainly digital drawing; the drawing of a bleeding heart on a gray blackground.
The tenth and eleventh pages reprise the front cover artwork, which is mirrored and is used as a background for the superimposed band members' photos. Lightning in turn is placed on everybody and everything.
The last page also shows a thankslist, the names of the musicians and their roles, info about the sonic production, as well as contacts of the formation and the recording company.

   


All for nothing

("All for Nothing" single)






   





   
Lost to us

("Lost to Us" single)




   
Daughter

("Daughter" single)








   

Trivia
   
The image of Baphomet in the booklet is a real photo of Timo Kirjavainen heavily altered to fit the rest of the picture.

The song "Moonlight, the Lake, the Demise" was inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".

The monicker symbolizes the mental spine of a person gone through too many hardships and traumas so that they will never be the same person again.

   

Lyrical content
   


The lyrics were penned 50/50 by Antti and by Timo Kirjavainen, and they are all in English, except the one in Finnish of "Unohdetun Laulu". They are all personal and painful, and are respectively about:

* the final years of Timo's grandfather, the sadness and loneliness of being very old and having already lost most of those he knew and loved.
* the uselessness of our efforts in life in the long run.
* the anguish of a father who does not know what happened to his daughter after she moved to another country.
* a bride beaten and humiliated by her husband, probably a possessed priest or pastor.
The devil in the song is mankind's own nature working through the seven sins (pride, envy, lust, gluttony, wrath, sloth, and most of all greed).
* rebellion to God's precepts stirred up by Satan.
* hell's torments for those who accepted to follow the wicked god.
* someone drawn to suicide in a lake.
* somebody who repents not having worked hard enough during a sentimental relationship that is now done forever.


   

Engineering and sound quality
   
Recorded and produced at Studio Fracture by Antti Kirjavainen from 2017 till 2023, the album was then mixed and mastered by Jeffro Lackscheide.
An 8-string guitar was used in the song "Praise", while a Mesa Dual Rectifier was used in the track "Left Hand Path". In all the other songs an Engl Powerball was used to amplify the rhythm guitar, save "All for Nothing", which has a different sounding amp.
The cello used on "Laments of the Deceased" is a Yamaha Silent Electric Cello.
The drums (Sonor snare, tom toms and kick drum + Sabian Stage crash cymbals) are acoustic, but the bass drum track is replaced for more punch by a post-processed ones that sounds 'triggered'.

The musicians micked 4 cymbals close to counter the dreaded 'room effect' unlike what most bands do in studio.

I am impressed with the marvellous guitar tones, the crunchy, metallic and sometimes perverted bass sounds, all the vocals (and believe me, there is a certain level of intricacy in most songs), the ever so meaningful synth, the keys for creating beautiful soundscapes, as well as the e-cello. As for the drums, the kick drums and the tom toms sound as they should, the former not too explosive, the latter like a huge quake; however, the ultra-processed fast blastbeats sound a bit weakly artificial for a band like Fractured Spine; they would be perfect for acts such as Fear Factory, Scorn or Mortician but the Finnish duo's drumwork needs more sharpness and punch. The hi-hat is quite gritty and relatively low-mixed in the fast parts, the snare-drum is dry and fit for the genre, whereas the cymbals are OK 90% of the songs, but sometimes sound so robotic and similar to one another that they seem somewhat separated from the rest of the instruments and dull to listen to. Might be my ears, my stereo, but this is one of the few aspects I would try and improve on the next occasion.

   

Track-by-track musical analysis
   
There does not exist a typical foundation for every song. For this band it is correct to use the generic term Extreme Metal to define its music, keeping in mind that there are elements of Death and Gothic in several songs, together with melodic parts, clean vocals, growls, screams, experimental, original songwriting and a constant veil of sadmess guaranteed by the addiction of Doom Metal licks. Once again the production work before hitting the studio was meticuolous and the results can be heard.

There could not be a better way to start an album with funeral lugubrious piano touches as in "Unohdetun Laulu". A Gothic Metal riff follows, interrupted by winding bass lines. It goes on until the entry of growls along with declamatory clean singing. The composition then proceeds in the sign of Gothic Doom Metal, recurring to a bass line acting as a threshold before a second of silence, and later to Black Metal vocals blended with other clean ones and a brief demonically-effected growl. All these vocalizing stands on a carpet of kick drums and a tight rhythm. Fusion reverberated guitar licks and an e-cello are added with further sad piano notes before a delicate refined guitar solo rich in piercing peaks arrives, matched with rapid and frantic drumwork on a Gothic Doom background. The refrain with Black Metal screaming and clean vocals comes back, but this time the double-bass drumming is hyper fast. The singing stops abruptly, ensued by last piano hits.

A mid tempoed riff and trembling synth sounds some moments later start "All for Nothing" along with threatening effected whispers. Then a Black Metal riff sets in accompanied by non fast drum rolls. The guitar remains alone and then vocals, drums and bass return on a mid-tempo. The vocals are putrid and malevolent Black Metal exhalations, but there are also ogrish ones turning to a growl. The refrain mixes guttural old-school Death and Black Metal vocals deign of a wicked possessing entity, but there is also space for clean vocals before the second verse reappears. A break with interlocutory synth passages is ensued by an outspoken stubborn riff. This contrast is repeated till the verse preceding a guitar solo embued with melancholy and rich in nuances. The closure sees a climax rendered with growing drumming, Black Metal singing and rotten deep vocals, until a growl and a precise final guitar stroke puts an end to the piece.

"Daughter" begins cradling us with  otherworldly synth notes, then delicate piano touches, and clean vocals on the trail of Fractured Spine's debut album. The vocals are echoed and after them a Doom Metal riff reaches us, matched by the most moving vocals of the platter. Here is the genuine Finnish soul pouring out of Antti's mouth showing the suffering for the missing daughter, here you get the best the band can offer vocally: great performance + maximum pathos! As if it were not enough these vocals are smeared by disturbing repeated vocals, diabolical whispers, a shriek, more menacious vocals, and finally some growling that transits over a Doom/Death Metal texture, based on reverberated guitars and minimalistic slow drumwork. Later on, a soft and multiform guitar solo comes to visit us, and here the skinbeater is free to do whatever his fantasy tells him to. In this fragment the vocals are almost Modern Metal, sided by whispers that grow devilish and cawing in the way of Kataklysm's. They melt with the sombreness and gloominess of the guitar work. Subsequently, a very swift blastbeat pops in to sustain Black vocals and other almost Modern Metal ones, replaced by extreme ones just at the end. Then, there is also room for lugubrious synths and echoed vocals to really conclude the song.
This number is my fav, and seeing it was chosen as a single is a confirmation that the composers themselves strongly believe in its potential.

A splendid reverberated riff commences "Praise", first distorting it a little, then harder. A second heavily-distorted one is added before we hear a traditional early Death Metal riff paired with simple but plain basswork. After a while spoken words are put into the song with a mid-tempo where the drums advance with an odd time-signature. Clean vocals appear, but they differ from the ones we listened to in the previous tracks, and they dominate the sonic picture, while the bass keeps on stroking the musical canvas. The spoken words are used again, until the pace speeds up a tad and the doubled clean vocals make a comeback with a sharp riff in the background, followed by crow-like cries. The drums become explosive and ill-disposed, utilizing a brief megafast drum roll and a blast beat that terminates in the blink of an eye. The verse with clean vocals now catches the attention travelling on a mid-tempo. The drumming becomes tight and ferocious anticipating the re-entrance of the Black screams. Intensity increases during the spoken words of a preacher and a short closing blastbeat, completed by extreme vocals as well as severe final screams.

Hellish sounds produced by a synth constitute the Ambient intro of "Lost to Us". Afterwards, key touches that remind us of a musical box, ogrish whispered vocals take the stage while the synth remains far away. Then the synths become disturbing, a piano enters, and not long after circus-like keys arrive, followed by growls and very simple drumming. Time for Timo for releasing witch's screams, and a kick drum to go only together with an e-cello, before ogrish vocals are brought back. A handful of guitar strokes comes before church-like organ touches, and again we hear childish keys reminding us a musical box. The guitar jumps in as well as the e-cello going on a solo. After a brief instrumental section, solemn clean vocals and growls start one more time, supported only by the kick-drum and hi-hat. Here come the last drum beats, then a scream and a creepy synth faded out.

The first instants of "Left Hand Path" see the use of a glacial riff, a growl and soon after screams from someone in need of an exorcism blended with some growls. It is then the turn of the rhythmic section to get in. It is Black Metal with a vaguely groovy pace interrupted by a primitive riff dear to early Beherit fans prior to the return of the Black and guttural Death Metal vocals. For a dozen of seconds the band seems to pay homage to old Celtic Frost before veering to a part with double bass and a long scream. After all that, an intense guitar solo proving that there is a chance for technical and Neoclassical axe solos within a Fractured Spine platter, goes on even when the Death/Black vocals are back. The solo finishes and there is a raw dirty riff left mixed low which is repeated to conclude this gorgeous and ingenious track.

The Finnish duo surprises the listener all the time, and this time they do it at the beginning of "Moonlight, the Lake, the Demise" with a saturated riff in the vein of early Nuclear Death; after a while it becomes more Classic Metal and then the song proposes a Gothic Doom Metal episode pleasing Sentenced's lovers. Some growls manifest on a slow riff, then vocals that might come from a nightmare arrive on the wings of tender lulling keyboards. This does not last long because we realize it has come the time for some Doom/Death, and then for the e-cello. The latter enjoys entertaining us with a solo which owes a great deal to My Dying Bride, enriched by a growl at the end. An interlocutory guitar work makes way for a furious blastbeat, reinforced by concise Black howls. Keys, bass and clean vocals like the ones during a religious ceremony come into sight preparing us for the same repeated blastbeat. All of this is alternated once again with savage distant vocals until heavenly keys faded out at the termination give us a gleam of hope.

Lasting under 3 minutes, "(No) Closure" begins with grave piano touches, next a synth, a remote distorted guitar, and lastly an e-cello. Timo sings clean again even awakening memories of the British Symthpop vocalist Howard Jones mixed with certain Vintersorg's vocals A second layer of clean reverberated vocals boost the mood until a Jazzy guitar solo stands out. The vocals triumph again but the solo continues. When a bass stroke  is heard, we meet louder vocals and synth again, but mostly are impressed by the intensification delivered by the e-cello after the vocals have become reverberated. As often happens, the finale is faded out neatly, while the bass and synth are playing the last notes of the full-length.

   


f.s.




   

Value
   


This full-length has particular value for me not only because I am honoured to be in the thanklist but also because it provides confirmation of the brilliant songwriting Fractured Spine still own after all these years.
"Laments of the Deceased" is a slap to the face of those 'well-thinkers' that dare claim that Extreme Metal is not a form of art.

   

Conclusion
   
Marking the band's natural progression, the 2-piece's third album is a proposal that cannot be ignored at all. This is easily the formation's catchiest, most complex, atmospheric, diversified, touching, hopeless and haunted record to date.
Combining hard-labour tune-shaping craftsmanship with exquisite creative finesse, this release decidedly deserves to grow into a bright star on the frimament of Finnish Extreme Metal.
When sadness, nostalgia and hasrhness of destiny are translated from the innermost within to musical poetry in its utmost splendour.

   


    MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - October 1st, 2024
   








f.s.














Tracklist:

1. Unohdetun Laulu
2. All for Nothing
3. Daughter
4. Praise
5. Lost to Us
6. Left Hand Path
7. Moonlight, the Lake, the Demise
8. (No) Closure









Discography:
-Frost (demo - 2008)
-Eerie Messages (demo - 2012)
-Songs of Slumber (full-length - 2013)
-Memoirs of A Shattered Mind (full-length - 2014)
-The Price of Retribution (EP - 2017)
-Failed Pieces (EP - 2017)
-Stolen Pieces (EP - 2018)
-Remains (demo - 2019)
-All for Nothing (single - 2023)
-Daughter (single - 2023)
-Lost to Us (single - 2024)
-Laments of the Deceased (full-length - 2024)




Line-up on this album:

Antti Kirjavainen - all instruments, v. in "(No) Closure" and at the beginning of "Daughter", lyrics

Timo Kirjavainen - v., lyrics, artwork









antti

(Antti Kirjavainen)

























timo

(Timo Kirjavainen)








Contacts:
Hämeenlinna - Kanta-Häme - SF

E-mail: fracturedspine@fracturedspine.net
Official website homepage:
http://www.fracturedspine.net/









Official main links:

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DON'T MISS THIS ALBUM'S VIDEO REVIEWS IN ENGLISH AND ITALIAN:

English video review:


Italian video review:




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