After the magnificent debut album In Loneliness Of Two Souls, I eagerly awaited the new disc from this funeral duo. And on the whole, they lived up to expectations, because as soon as I heard the first chords of By the Candles Obsequial, a chill ran down my spine and my heart went still. 45 minutes of funeral doom, occasionally erupting into furious death metal assaults — soul-wrenching riffs and barely audible touches of keyboards like falling tears, strained growls and a soulful male voice. Incidentally, as on the first album, the vocal parts and their professional arrangements were very pleasing — diverse and multidimensional. Now, Alexander's rich voice is complemented by the female soprano of a guest vocalist. Overall, the musical material, despite its funeral orientation, is quite varied, which is gratifying. It is evident that the musicians put in a great deal of work.
But amidst all this magnificence, there are drawbacks. I believe the fact that the guys recorded in their own studio left its mark — had they recorded in a European-caliber studio and recruited a session drummer, the impact would have been far greater. But these are just suppositions; what we actually have is a good, interesting doom-death album.