Arcana Coelestia - Le Mirage de L'Idéal (2009)

The ongoing recession of 2009 is apparently unsatisfied with just my bank account - it seems to have gone after the funeral scene as well in an attempt to bankrupt my mind fully. Very little funeral doom is being released these days, and an even smaller portion of that is worth listening to. Thankfully, some jolly people over in Italy are fighting this, and the sounds of their rebellion brings a bit of hope back to these ears.

Arcana Coelestia's second album is an interesting mix of familiar comfort doom and more ambitious attempts to expand the sound. There is an almost cinematic, glorious mood to their style, evident from the first bits of warm ambience that open the album. The trilling leads have a healthy dose of post-rock aplomb that keeps up throughout "Duskfall," giving way only for some languid soloing at the midpoint. The vocals rumble and chew their way alongside, phased synths and a piano bridge a thankfully non-trite swelling climax that rises with stirring clean vocals, and the song end gracefully in ambience again.

Aside from the post-rock element and other little aspects, there isn't anything radically new here at all. The backing riffs are standard, uncomplicated funeral fare. They synths, vocals, leads, and drums are essentially what you would expect. It's slow. It's low. And Le Mirage de L'Idéal does still suffer from the curse of funeral doom - there is a lack of focus in the songs that can leave the listener stranded, looking for something to pull them through. Yet, despite the rote description, Arcana Coelestia perform the style with grace, handling each aspect of the music in a wonderfully heartfelt way, managing to imbue it with more spirit and purpose than most. The clean vocals that show up here and there (especially "Tragedy & Delirium I" and "...Thus Fade in Nocturnal Deluge") are god damn good, though - the male and female singers both handle their parts perfectly, capturing an almost traditional sound that doesn't detract from the mood whatsoever. I really wouldn't mind hearing more of these. The overall album mix is excellent, achieving that full, miasmic sound (that really is necessary for funeral doom) while still achieving their own style; it's not so much a wall of sound as it is a massive cloud billowing by.

For all its rich ambience and unique ideas, Le Mirage de L'Idéal still feels one step removed from a truly cohesive, compelling work. While this is generally just a problem for those who don't enjoy funeral, I feel that this album could benefit from more compelling riffs or structures, which would help cut back on the almost aimless winding that the songs sometimes have. I was quite entertained by this album, however. It fights through the common funeral doom issue of insubstantiality by presenting a genuine approach to the formula, and even almost manages to transcend into a new niche, a new doom experience, despite its flaws. For 2009 funeral doom, this is definitely some of the best we're going to get, so check it out.

Verdict: Win [8.5/10]

http://www.myspace.com/arcanacoelestia