Photo by Evan Hunter McKnight
Almost four years to the day of the release of their critically adored Death Meditation full-length, New York City death/doom bringers FUNERAL LEECH return with The Illusion Of Time, set for release on April 5th via Carbonized Records,
It may feel like a lifetime to some, but for FUNERAL LEECH it was time well-spent. Their sophomore release is a more mature, focused, and realized manifestation of their depressive, vitriolic vision. Expanding their necromantic sound to incorporate elements of melancholic synths and expansive, sorrowful passages influenced by their funeral doom forebears (Mournful Congregation, Evoken, Asunder) and the powerful guitar harmonies and solos of traditional doom (Solstice, Candlemass, Cathedral, Scald), FUNERAL LEECH shows they are an ever-growing, slowly encroaching death machine that none can escape. The Illusion Of Time is a deeply personal journey through five writings of time, guilt, grief, and loss, clocking in at forty-three grueling minutes. FUNERAL LEECH reminds you that time means nothing, but… time’s tide will smother you!
“The Illusion Of Time, as a whole is a journey into self-realization and acceptance, but not a very positive one,” issues drummer/vocalist L. “I took the writings and self-teachings from Death Meditation and went a step further. This is a natural progression, ‘death is a new beginning’ was just that, a beginning. The Illusion Of Time is about how time stops at nothing. The album contains five concentrated, and almost obsessive writings on time and its inevitable effect on us. We often think it is infinite, when in fact it couldn’t be further than the case. Every clock alarm, every watch tick… one second closer to our end. And what happens after that? Time keeps moving. Forever.
“The Illusion Of Time is deeply personal,” he continues, “and deals with a number of great losses I’ve experienced, and how time is a reminder that life goes on, doesn’t care, will never stop, even after we are long gone. It’ll just begin again for someone else.”
In advance of the record’s release, today the band unleashes first single, “Ceaseless Wheel Of Becoming,” which wholly encapsulates The Illusion Of Time’s theme, “Life will not stop for you. Every day is death. An endless cycle begins again. We live only to die and we die just to live again.”
Stream FUNERAL LEECH’s “Ceaseless Wheel Of Becoming” at THIS LOCATION.
The Illusion Of Time was recorded by Sasha Stroud at Artifact Audio and mixed and mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound Studio. The record includes additional vocals by Ivan Caban on “Penance” and Dino Sommese on “The Tower,” recorded by Judd Hawk at The Church of Artificial Intelligence as well as additional percussion by Sasha Stroud. The front and back cover art, sigils, and lyric art were provided by Karmazid.
FUNERAL LEECH’s The Illusion Of Time will be released on CD, LP, cassette, and digital formats.
Find preorders at the Carbonized Records US webshop HERE, EU webshop HERE, or Bandcamp HERE as well as the FUNERAL LEECH Bandcamp HERE.
Join FUNERAL LEECH at the Honey Moon Coffee Shop in Queens, New York April 5th [info] for a special listening party. Catch the band live at TV Eye, also in Queens, on April 13th where they will perform The Illusion Of Time in its entirety. Stand by for more live dates to be announced in the weeks to come.
FUNERAL LEECH Live:
4/13/2024 TV Eye – Queens, NY w/ Mortuous, Cemetery Filth Perfirming *
*Performing The Illusion Of Time in its entirety
The Illusion Of Time Track Listing:
- …And The Sky Wept
- Ceaseless Wheel Of Becoming
- Penance
- Chronofixion
- The Tower
FUNERAL LEECH emerged from the misery-laden streets of New York City in the final months of 2015. Comprised of four death-obsessed punks focused on playing necromantic, mid-tempo death doom, they draw inspiration from the misery inherent in the human condition.
Wielding the miasma of life in Gotham as a canvas on which to paint a grim portrait of depression, sickness, and loss, FUNERAL LEECH is known for its intense and meditative live rituals. With several releases under their belt, including a debut LP that sold out of its first pressing in two weeks, FUNERAL LEECH has returned to this realm with their sophomore album, The Illusion Of Time.
FUNERAL LEECH:
L – drums, vocals, synthesizers
Z – guitars
A – guitars
K – bass
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