FUNÉRARIUM Ancient Astronauts CD

The 2023 album Ancient Astronauts by the French band Funérarium, released through the label Acid Vicious, represents a unique conceptual shift within the Atmospheric Black Metal genre. While the project began in 2018 as a solo endeavor by the musician Kardec, this particular release features a more collaborative effort with Mandragor on drums and a notable guest vocal appearance by Stéphane Buriez of the legendary band Loudblast on the track Abduction. Diverging from the traditional occult or melancholic themes typical of the genre, the album focuses entirely on ufology and the ancient astronauts theory, exploring the idea of extraterrestrial intervention in human history through a dark, cosmic lens. Musically, the record delivers a dense and hypnotic soundscape across its forty-minute duration, blending raw black metal riffs with spacious, eerie atmospheres that evoke the cold vacuum of deep space. The tracklist includes evocative titles such as Zeta Reticuli, Stellar Desolation, Death of Space, and Massive Arrival, culminating in the bonus track Putrid Reflection of Vanity specifically included for the physical edition. Issued as a strictly limited CD digipak of only 100 copies, Ancient Astronauts has been recognized in the underground scene for its ability to fuse high-speed aggression with a fascinating sci-fi narrative, marking one of the most creatively ambitious chapters in Funérarium's extensive discography.