FUNÉRARIUM 1692 CD

The 2022 album 1692 by the French atmospheric black metal project Funérarium, released through Acid Vicious, is a grim conceptual work dedicated to the history and dark folklore of the Salem witch trials. Masterminded by the prolific musician Kardec, the record moves away from the band's later cosmic themes to explore a more grounded, historical horror aesthetic rooted in the paranoia and religious fervor of 17th-century Massachusetts. Musically, it is often cited as one of the project's most aggressive and direct releases, blending cold, traditional black metal riffs with the suffocating atmosphere for which Funérarium is known. The album is distinguished by its collaborative nature, featuring guest appearances from several figures in the underground scene, including Brouillard, Certa Mortis, Gorgon, and Erroiak, each contributing to the narrative weight of the record. The tracklist follows a chronological descent into tragedy, beginning with Welcome to Salem and Witch Hunt, moving through the harrowing Tituba Torture and Ember Sentence, and culminating in the finality of A Witch Is Born. Issued as a limited edition professional CD digipak, 1692 stands as a visceral piece of storytelling that uses the medium of extreme metal to reflect on themes of human cruelty, isolation, and the birth of a darker occult legacy.