______ _______ _______ ______ _____ _______ | __ \ | | | | __ \ |_| ___| | < | | | __ < | ___| proudly presents... |___|__|_______|__|_|__|______/_______|_______| ............................................................................ Artist...... Blind Equation Album....... A Funeral In Purgatory Label....... Prosthetic Records Genre....... Metal Releasedate 2025-07-18 Encoder..... Lame Source...... WEB (MP3) Bitrate..... 320kbps Size........ 80.04 mb Duration.... 32:15 WWW......... http://www.deezer.com/album/720377051 .Tracklist ................................................................. 01 This Eternal Curse [ 2:46] 02 Nothing [ 2:41] 03 it feels like the end (feat. JOHNNASCUS) [ 2:23] 04 A Funeral... [ 4:14] 05 +.+ *+* +.+ [ 0:58] 06 ...in purgatory [ 1:30] 07 Flashback (feat. Strawberry Hospital) [ 2:26] 08 mourn [ 3:16] 09 Relinquished Dreams [ 3:03] 10 still [ 2:51] 11 Incomplete [ 6:07] .Releasenotes .............................................................. When I reach for something blindly, I hope for the best. As it pertains to the acquisition of promo, I calculate my chances of enjoying whatever I select as little as possible. Impulse reigns supreme, instinct takes precedence, gut feelings have the final say. This process ultimately led me to Chicago, Illinois Blind Equation. Originally launched as a chiptune-heavy cybergrind project, mastermind and main songwriter James McHenry steadily integrated other influences that distinguish this material from that of the greater subset. With A Funeral in Purgatory, written in the midst of great anguish and struggle on McHenrys side, Blind Equation create their heaviest, most brutal, and yet most vulnerable and earnest work to date. Resembling acts like DEATHTRIPPA, Blind Equations current iteration diversifies its palette with elements of goth and emo, death and doom, synthwave, and melodic black metal. To these ears, those attributes recall everything from AFI, Fires in the Distance, Silhouette, Gunship, and Labyrinthus Stellarum. Depressive tones and desperate wails reminiscent of Ghost Bath or Acathexis also meld beautifully with a hopeful atmospheric counterpointa reflection of McHenrys use of songwriting as a mechanism for catharsis and healing during his darkest moments during A Funeral in Purgatorys development. Brutal outbursts reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh or Igorrr, and the occasional deathcore gravity blast, provide an additional dynamic that brings immense metallic heft to an affair that, to my knowledge, doesnt utilize a single guitar. Unified, these myriad characteristics coalesce into something stylistically unique, instrumentally fascinating, and emotionally compelling. More importantly, A Funeral in Purgatory is an absolute joy to experience. With contrasting numbers as divergent as my personal favorites, the blisteringly fast and exuberant Flashback (ft. Strawberry Hospital) and beautiful death doom closer Incomplete, you might expect A Funeral in Purgatory to be disjointed and haphazard. But the opposite is true. Blind Equations masterful, meticulous detailing brings unity and adhesion to the record, such that when I hear the eviscerating brutality of in Purgatory juxtaposed against the vibrant gallop of Flashback, or the goth-soaked Nothing against the metalcore-breakcore mashup it feels like the end (ft. JOHNNASCUS), it feels natural and invigorating. An increased presence of slower, more dramatic passages in A Funeral and Relinquished Dreams allows Blind Equations heart-wrenching roars and introspective tones to shine through as the brilliant light of higher-pitched synths and chips fade, enhancing what are already compelling songs by creating deeper valleys and taller peaks. Ultimately, this approach to songwriting permitted me very little opportunity to correctly predict what happened next, while still capturing my attention so completely that with each new song I was ready, almost desperate, for the next twist to whip me into another dimension. However, not all dimensions are created equal, and there are a couple here that dont quite reach the same echelon as Blind Equations best. First and foremost are the interludes, ??? ??????? ??? and still. Musically, they are pretty and offer plenty of emotion, but dont add enough to the storytelling to feel essential to the overall experience. I could argue the former brings novelty to the split title tracks A Funeral and in Purgatory, but the requisite connective tissue is flimsy all the same. In a similar manner, mourn is somewhat lackluster compared to its album mates. This could be an unfortunate circumstance brought about by its barebones instrumentation, which is a stark departure from everything presented over the previous seven tracks. It could also be that its core ideas feel a touch underdeveloped by comparison. Either way, it represents one of A Funeral in Purgatorys minor weak points. While in no way a detractor on their own merit, Blind Equations AFI-esque clean vocals, which only feature in the first three tracks, would bring even greater cohesion to the whole if they featured more consistently throughout. It goes without saying that I didnt expect what Blind Equation delivered, nor did I expect to like it this much. At the same time, I really shouldnt be surprised at all, considering nearly all of my favorite records this year have been wild and unorthodox. A Funeral in Purgatory represents another entry in that varied category, of which there is no doubt. But its also one of the most fun and engaging electronic music releases Ive encountered this year. So if you dont mind your metal chipped to oblivion, laced with ecstasy, dressed in all black, with a raven perched on its shoulder, then A Funeral in Purgatory might just be your poison. ............................................................................ LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLEEEEE!