Filthy Music Review - 'Cemetery Fog: Shadows from the Cemetery'

Cemetery Fog - Shadows from the Cemetery (Tape) (2014)

Iron Bonehead Productions

Review by Trevor Proctor

Finland’s Cemetery Fog is a three piece that plays a twisted blend of blackened death and doom. After forming in 2012 Shadows from the Cemetery was originally self-released as one of three demo tapes by the band the following year, at this time exposure for the band would have been quite limited and localised. However Iron Bonehead Productions, whose knack for spotting talent is as exemplary as their release roster, snapped up this demo for a much deserved, higher profile release due in March 2014. 

Finland’s death metal scene is in my opinion is as healthy or even healthier than ever, so being able to stand out within a burgeoning scene and also within your own country’s strong metal underground is no easy task which many will attempt and invariably fail – for a group like Cemetery Fog to do so within the release of a few demos is very rare.

First track Into the Beyond is a brief instrumental followed by Shadows from the Cemetery – it’s another fairly short track that alternates between thrash infused black metal and blackened doom. One of the first things to strike me is the quality of the recording which for a demo is exceptional, also the vocals standout as they are remarkably well suited to the music. Voices from the dark follows and is a more doom influenced track with much slower passages; there’s also various effects in the background at times that help add to Cemetery Fog’s murky, darkened atmosphere as the track progresses. 

Clocking in at just less than ten minutes Old Gates is the penultimate track; it commences with a beautiful acoustic introduction that soon gives way to   distorted, immensely heavy crushing doom style riffs. Throughout this track background effects and occasional acoustic notes add to both the composition and pervading creepy atmosphere; this is a beast of a track that for me is the highlight of the demo and a good indicator of the quality music this band is capable of writing.

Considered as a demo this is a fantastic release, it’s very, very well recorded (apparently dubbed at home) and the sound quality is as good if not better than many signed non-demo releases. Shadows from the Cemetery is 24 minutes of listening well spent, however it merely whets the appetite for a full length album or at least an official EP release – the standard of music is there for all to clearly hear and they’re signed with an excellent label in Iron Bonehead. So, it doesn’t take Einstein to work out there’ll be much more to come. Shadows from the Cemetery is now on release from Iron Bonehead Productions on a limited run of 300 cassettes, I hope it’s not long until we hear a lot more from this band whose prospects are as bright as their music is dark, a superb demo.                 

Tracklist:

1. Into The Beyond 

2. Shadows from the Cemetery 

3. Voices from the Dark 

4. Old Gates 

5. Outro

Shadows from the Cemetery is released by Iron Bonehead Productions.