Just as in my last review here, where I wrote about The Great Old Ones’ Kadath about a month ago, today I present to you another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, this time hailing from the funeral doom side of the metal spectrum. Fungoid Stream are a two-man band from Argentina, and while their 2024 album A Nightmare And A Cataclysm came to my attention too late to be nominated in the Metal Storm Awards, it's never too late to put the spotlight on a phenomenal work of art.
The release of A Nightmare And A Cataclysm is a special occasion, as it marks both the band's 20th anniversary and, sadly, the band's final album. As they describe on their Bandcamp page, “Fungoid Stream started as an homage to H.P.Lovecraft, and we think we have achieved our goal”. Indeed, throughout their career, Fungoid Stream consistently provided some of the most unique-sounding funeral doom I've ever heard. Spicing up their languid droning with plenty of mournful synths and hypnotic melodies, they showed that a band doesn't have to play non-stop heavy riffs to properly convey cosmic horror. Sometimes elegance is the best way to unsettle.
I can definitely recommend their consistently great discography, particularly their 2010 album Oceanus (my personal favorite, I'd say), which even features a whale song to rival Gojira!
For A Nightmare And A Cataclysm, the grand finale of their discography, Fungoid Stream present two titanic tracks of 20 minutes each. The lyrical theme focuses on one of Lovecraft's longest narratives: The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward (which I myself have not read at the time of this writing, but it's definitely at the top of my bucket list!).
Most of the album is composed of lengthy ambient passages that take their sweet time to fully develop. So, you definitely shouldn't be in a rush when listening to this. Take 40 minutes out of your day to sit down and immerse yourself in the rolling sound waves of a distant world. Once you take your time with the album, you'll see that, despite the monstrous runtime, the music is quite approachable as far as funeral doom goes. Fungoid Stream strike a satisfying balance, providing softer, tranquil moments of drawn-out synth melodies, before crushing you with a riptide of finest doom riffs.
The compositions flow very well, leading the listener on a mesmerizing journey full of somber tunes and mysteriously spoken incantations. Throughout the album, the tension builds incrementally, before reaching a satisfyingly intense climax. The spectral choirs, the rhythmic crash of the drums, the haunting synths, the subtle yet menacing plucking of the bass, the echoing piano keys, the ominous claps of guitar thunder, the eldritch rumblings of Yog-Sothoth—all of these elements coalesce into an incredibly immersive experience and a triumphant finale.
In conclusion, Fungoid Stream end their career on a high note, delivering one of the best Lovecraftian funeral doom albums of recent times—and perhaps even the band's best achievement to date.
We and the Elder Gods thank you for your service, Fungoid Stream. You will be missed.
