Review: Funeral Bitch “The Demos” [Black Mass Records]

Besides Master, Paul Speckmann has been known for plenty of bands throughout the decades; many of which I don’t care too much about, but if there’s one band that really caught me by surprise, then it’s Funeral Bitch. I’ll be honest; I had little expectations about this band, but if you’re looking for more Speckmann-esque death metal that’s not just about those songs that were written in the 80’s and appeared on a variety of Paul Speckmann’s projects, then this may just be what you need.

Although Master will always be Paul Speckmann’s main band, there’s something utterly satisfying about Funeral Bitch and to think that these songs originate from ’86-’87 just blows me away (quite literally, we’re talking about rapid-fire death metal right here). Given the time that the demos came out, points of reference will be rather limited of course, but over time I’ve come up with some apt comparisons, even if they might come as a surprise. For starters, if you can picture the same blasting drums and furious guitar that defined Magnus’ I was Watching My Death, then you’re not far off. That said, these songs are much shorter and thus, you end up with an explosion of early thrash/death metal that might appeal more to fans of Vulcano’s Bloody Vengeance. Just hear how unrecognizable and intimidating “Funeral Bitch” and “The Truth” sound here… if you think that you’ve heard the heaviest versions of these songs, you better think again.

Of course, can definitely hear some nods to several American death metal bands of the old age, but in this case, Mantas / Death and Possessed don’t come to mind. “Omega Man” features a few blood storming Insanity-esque thrash riffs that already come to an end after you’ve blinked a few times and while this may seem as an odd inspiration source, it’s the most accurate one that I could think of. “Out of Space” resembles Paul Speckmann’s trademark style of death metal to a certain degree but for the most part sounds downright bonkers; as if someone gave him speed before recording and the band ended up writing something much faster than planned. That said, Paul Speckmann’s vocals remain clearly recognizable; he sounds gruff and pissed off at the world like he always does.

Since these songs are extremely short, Funeral Bitch rightfully so don’t waste their time with building momentum and creating more tension than necessary, but two cuts don’t make it. “McMac Attack” sounds more like a prank than anything else (as if that title doesn’t give it away), where the band plays between a silly sample and “Chest, Breast, Molest” is a thirty second long offering that obviously too short sounds to leave an actual impression behind. Needless to say, I can’t imagine any fan of early death metal to be uninterested in this band and for ’86-’87, death metal probably doesn’t get more extreme than this.

Release date: September 2011