Finnish solo project Shades of Deep Water has been active since 2006, when a series of demos announced the imminent deluge of morose funeral doom and death-doom. Since the project first surfaced lone member J.H. has approached funeral doom like a true artisan. That slow ‘n’ heavy craft hits its highest peak on Death’s Threshold. On his new album he continues to focus on the beauty of simplicity, confidently allowing a lachrymose riff to lurch towards catharsis for ten minutes at a time before its sudden demise (“Part I”). Elsewhere, there’s an obsessive attention to detail, like the immaculate timing of burying the song’s distortion to let the keys and strings breathe (4:48 in “Part III”). With four movements in 41 minutes, Death’s Threshold is an experience you surrender to entirely. It’s a sophisticated mood piece that casts gray skies.
“With the new album I wanted to return to heavier and slower Funeral Doom tunes,” mastermind J.H. shares. “I have done a few Death-Doom EPs before this album. This time the idea was to do one long piece of music that grows from one part to another. I wanted to keep the music as simple as possible with a steady beat and slowly adding more layers to the mix. The theme of the album is once again related to death, like most older Shades of Deep Water releases. Setting of the theme is the cosmos which was used also for the previous releases. With the artwork I wanted to create a scenery in the afterlife where the dead roam as shadows under the colorful night sky. The cold and warm colors are very important roles. The artwork brings the release to a whole new level.”
Dive into funeral doom’s deep-end with Shades of Deep Water before the record’s release on July 25th from Dunkelheit Produktionen. Press play and cross Death’s Threshold below.
Pre-order Death’s Threshold from Dunkelheit Produktionen HERE
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