Whether you're feeling down, upset, or simply want some heavy music without the high-speed bombast of most Extreme Metal, FROWNING have you covered with their debut album, "Funeral Impressions". A solo project created by German musician Val Atra Niteris, FROWNING was formed in 2011 and contributed to a split-EP with APHONIC THRENODY earlier this year.

Slow, lurching Doom is the name of the game here, and FROWNING provide plenty of it, with seven songs stretching out to slightly over an hour in length. "Funeral Impressions" exudes feelings of despair and hopelessness, and the gloomy clean guitar lines that open first song "Obsessed" set the tone for the album. There are times where the band's melancholy borders on nihilistic in manner and sound, though there is still a noticeable melodic element that keeps things feeling human enough throughout. In addition, the instruments are supplemented with a handful of subtle effects that give the music a fuller, all-encompassing sound. Niteris's growls are pretty standard fare for this sort of music, but the lyrics to each song are pretty well thought out and couldn't fit better with the music they were written for, each song being a clinic on suffering, pain, and loss.

Where "Obsessed" works as something of a primer, "Receive My Tears" ups the ante with an even more formidable, more visceral display of emotion with its echoing atmospheric effects and somber guitar harmonies amidst crushing power chords and Niteris's bitter lamentations. "Day In Black" continues along the same path, and is a little more direct in its approach. "Sleep Eternally" feels a more sad than bleak musically, but it's just as resigned to misery as the rest of the album.

My criticisms of this album are few, as it is a solid work overall. Sometimes, I felt like things got a little repetitive, even for this kind of music, and that for me usually means one of two things; either there needs to be a little more variety instrumentally, or the songs are too long. Personally, I lean towards the latter on this one. The certainty of dread is made all the more powerful by the consistency in the band's musical approach, so they don't really need to get too fancy or technical, but the same repetition can be somewhat draining at times. The songs work fine being long, but with an average length of just over ten minutes apiece, they could be trimmed a bit without sacrificing quality.

FROWNING deliver a good first effort with "Funeral Impressions". The songs are well-crafted, the mood is dark and despondent, and the music is crushingly heavy. Fans of Funeral Doom and the like would do well to give it a listen.