Album Review: My Last Promise - A Funeral Of Being

 

Album Review

Artist: My Last Promise 

A Funeral Of Being 

Matriarch Records

Score: 8/10 

Reviewed by Rick Eaglestone 

Ukraine's depressive black metal scene  My Last Promise  have been steadily carving out a niche in the underground and have delivered perhaps  most harrowing statement yet with "A Funeral Of Being." 

From the opening moments, there's an immediate sense that this isn't going to be your typical depressive black metal fare. The production choices here are deliberately suffocating with each riff feeling like it's being played through layers of emotional sediment, creating a sonic landscape that mirrors the psychological terrain the project explores. 

The guitar work maintains that essential tremolo-picked foundation while incorporating dissonant passages that feel less like musical choices and more like involuntary spasms of anguish.

What sets "A Funeral Of Being" is Rather than wallowing in theatrical misery, My Last Promise understands that true despair often comes in quiet moments—the spaces between the screams, the pauses between the blast beats and the album's pacing reflects this understanding, allowing tracks to breathe and decay naturally rather than forcing cathartic release where none exists.

The vocal approach deserves particular mention. Instead of the typical shrieking that dominates the genre, we're presented with something far more unsettling—a voice that sounds genuinely broken, as if the act of singing itself is causing physical pain and  It's raw without being performative, 

Compositionally, the album flows like a funeral procession—deliberate, inevitable, and profoundly affecting. Each track builds upon the emotional foundation laid by its predecessor, creating a cumulative effect that becomes increasingly overwhelming as the album progresses. The use of ambient interludes are also nicely placed

Perhaps most importantly, "A Funeral Of Being" manages to avoid the pitfall that plaque some depressive black metal releases: it never feels self-indulgent. Every moment of suffering feels earned, every passage of despair feels necessary. 

"A Funeral Of Being" isn't an easy listen, nor is it meant to be. It's a challenging, often uncomfortable experience that rewards those brave enough to sit with its darkness. In a genre often criticized for its repetitive nature, My Last Promise has crafted something genuinely unique—a work that uses the tools of depressive black metal to explore genuinely profound themes about existence, loss, and the weight of simply being alive.

This is essential listening for anyone serious about extreme metal's potential as a vehicle for authentic emotional expression. .