Posted on June 2, 2025
Funeral
Funeral Doom Metal - Norway
Melancholy. Pain. Loss. Solitude. Those had been just some of doom metal main themes ever since bleak pouring rain and the sound of church bell in the distance gave birth to the genre on BLACK SABBATH self-eponymous debut over five decades ago. But how many musicians have actually been bearing in their very flesh those gut-wrenching feelings?
Anders Eek – FUNERAL’s founding member, drummer and undisputable leader since 1991 – doesn’t particularly see it as a badge of honour, but he’d be the first to admit that somehow, the “death and loss we had to go through over the years were extremely painful yet inspiring, as a musician and as a human being.” And indeed, ever since their very first rehearsal in a basement in their hometown of Drammen, just outside of Oslo, Funeral had been ridden with problems and tragedy. Originally inspired by CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, BLACK SABBATH, TROUBLE etc, they very quickly set out to create the most depressing and slowest form of doom/death possible at a time when their home country was being hailed as the birthplace of black metal. They went through several labels over the years, only to see them bust soon afterwards. Plagued by recurrent line-up problems, they even lost two of their key members Einar André Fredriksen (bass) and Christian Loos (guitar) in 2003 and 2006, respectively, to suicide and overdose.
But somehow, Eek never surrendered, but instead overcame all those obstacles by releasing over the years a slab of classics, each with its own, distinct personality, from the utter misery of the delicate yet none-so-extreme 1995 debut album ‘Tragedies’ to the more melodic and accessible 2001 gothic/doom masterpiece ‘In Fields Of Pestilent Grief’ or 2012 symphonic masterpiece ‘Oratorium’. Still, after the 30th anniversary concert in Oslo, april 12th 2022, also featuring the original singer Toril Snyen on the track «taarene», “life got in the way” as Anders puts it. “Some of us had kids, others moved out. Even I had quite a lot of things going on in my personal life and, at least for a while, maybe less drive to keep on carrying on the weight of the band on my shoulders. I never stopped writing music though because it’s something I’ve always done anyway.
2021 saw the band releasing ‘Praesentialis in Aeternum’ (something along the line of “here eternally”) as a “natural progression. Guesting on opening track ‘Ånd,’ the first single off the record, is Lars Nedland, Sindre’s own brother of BORKNAGAR and SOLEFALD fame. It was also the first album for their new partner, Season of Mist.
In 2022 Singer Sindre Nedland was replaced by the professionally trained baritone opera singer Eirik Krokfjord (specialized in the works of Richard Wagner), known from both the Norwegian Opera Choir, as well as having several leading roles in operas both in Norway and abroad.
Violinist Ingvild Johannessen also joined the ranks, and the band moved away from programmed orchestration, and recorded all strings analogue. The incorporation of the traditional Norwegian instrument, the Harding fiddle, is a key element throughout their latest full-length Gospel of Bones, which was released in 2024. The album moved the band slightly towards a more folk sound, combined with the classical opera-vocals of E. Krokfjord. The lyrics tell an autobiography of life’s mishaps of drummer/composer A. Eek, and deals with real darkness, misery, pain and loss.
In 2025, Funeral released a companion to Gospel of Bones. At the center of The Funereal stands the towering “Gamalt ljós”, an 18-minute harrowing meditation on self-denial, idealism and the psychological toll of entrapment. The EP also includes an acoustic reinterpretation of “Når Kisten Senkes”. Stripped of its original orchestral weight, this new version lays bare the song’s stark mourning and lyrical gravitas. The result is a subdued yet devastating lamentation—an intimate reflection on death, grief, and finality, rendered in delicate acoustics and hushed despair.
Line-up:
- Anders Eek : Drums
- Eirik Krokfjord : Vocals
- Marcus Granlien : Guitars
- Rune Arnesen : Bass
- Morten Søbyskogen : Guitars
- Mattias Thedens : Violin
| Date | Venue | City | Country | Info | Ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2nd, 2026 | Inferno Festival | Oslo | Norway | Buy Ticket |
Posted on October 17, 2024
FUNERAL returns with their latest soul-crushing masterpiece, Gospel of Bones. This is no mere album; it is an emotionally wrenching journey into the abyss of sorrow and the resilience of the human spirit.
Posted on September 16, 2024
In the raw, unyielding embrace of doom metal, few bands have tread the line between despair and catharsis as poignantly as FUNERAL. The Norwegian titans of sorrow unveil their newest single, Procession of Misery, from the upcoming album Gospel of Bones, a requiem carved out of the ice and darkness of the human soul. Hailing from the desolate climes of Norway, FUNERAL have built their legacy on crafting epically melancholic soundscapes that resonate with the profound depths of grief and loss. As stalwart guardians of the funeral doom metal genre, their tones are as weighted as the bowed boughs of winter. In Procession of Misery, they carry forward this legacy, leading listeners through a morose symphony of sorrow. With Anders Eek’s crushing riffs and the ethereal lament of Eirik Krokfjord, the track embodies the soul-crushing bleakness that defines FUNERAL‘s sound. The track is a dirge, a solemn march into the abyss, punctuated by relentless funeral drums and melodies that etch sorrow into the night sky. Produced by the venerable Børge Finstad, Procession of Misery leads the vanguard of an album that declares FUNERAL’s sovereign command over the genre. It’s a song that doesn’t shy away from staring into the void but rather finds a haunting beauty within it.Listen to Procession of Misery now on the Season of Mist YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/ygYotAPsFDc
Posted on August 14, 2024
Today, FUNERAL returns with Yestertear, the haunting second single from their forthcoming album, Gospel of Bones. FUNERAL weaves a somber yet resilient tale through their melancholic soundscapes. Yestertear is a cathartic vessel, sailing through the darkest waters of human grief and emerging on the shores of mournful beauty. Produced by the legendary Børge Finstad and adorned with the ethereal harmonies of Ingvild “Sareeta” Johannesen, Gospel of Bones is an opus of mourning carved in nightmarish tones and relentless dirges. Each track meticulously showcasing the band’s mastery in articulating the grim yet inspiring journey through pain and loss. On Yestertear, the listener drowns in intricate melodies and the profound anguish woven with care by the hands of the Anders Eek (Drums, Guitars, Vocals) Erlend E. Nybo (Guitars), Rune Gandrud (Bass), Sareeta (Violin, Backing Vocals), Stian Kråbøl (Guitars) & Eirik P. Krokfjord (Vocals). Eek’s dismal symphonies echo through every note, leading us through the desolate beauty of remembered sorrow and past hauntings. Here, we are not merely passive listeners but fellow mourners, each phrase a whisper in the grand requiem of existence. ➤ Listen to Yestertear now on the Season of Mist YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/taZsXT5YNiw
Posted on July 10, 2024
In the shivering, twilight-stained expanses of Norway, where the frost gnaws at ancient stones and shadows linger under perpetual twilight, FUNERAL weaves their sorrowful tapestry with the unveiling of their harrowing new single, My Own Grave. This is the first elegy from their impending album, Gospel of Bones, a cavernous exploration of grief and resilience that promises to echo within the hollow voids of the hearts of doom metal aficionados.
