Band:	Beati Mortui
Album:	Let The Funeral Begin
Style:	Electro-Industrial
Release date:	May 21, 2010
A review by:	Darkside Momo

Disc I
01. Painting...
02. Vision Of Hell
03. Prey
04. Let The Funeral Begin
05. Deathrow
06. Sanctimonious
07. Soulreaper
08. All Is Good (The Demon)
09. Touch Me Not
10. Alone
11. Musta Surma
12. ...Obsequiae

Disc II [limited edition]
01. Vision Of Hell [Suicide Commando remix]
02. Vision Of Hell [C-Lekktor remix]
03. Let The Funeral Begin [Proteus remix]
04. Let The Funeral Begin [Kuroshio remix]
05. Let The Funeral Begin [Centhron remix]
06. Prey [Erilaz remix]
07. Prey [Die Braut remix]
08. Prey [Machine Park remix]
09. Prey [Eisenfunk remix]
10. Soulreaper [Overflow-110 remix]
11. Soulreaper [Inline.Sex.Terror feat. DVH remix]

Sometimes, on Metalstorm, we review albums that just aren't metal, but that do have a bit of an influence here and there, and that could certainly appeal to some people in the metal crowd.
Just like this Let The Funeral Begin.

What is it, exactly? It's EBM - or, more exactly, somewhere in the middle ground between electro-industrial and aggrotech with dark moods. Think of a mix between Suicide Commando's stomping dance beat and Blutengel's melancholic and melodic moments, for example.
And they claim to have a metal influence. Really? Well, remember first that electro-industrial has always used more guitars than your average electronic band. For metal comparisons, let's say that Beati Mortui's sounds a bit like The Kovenant totally gone electronic. Also, the female vocals are not unlike the ones in Interlock. Beautifully clean and 'ethereal', creepy, raspy, aggressive, they are very varied indeed (and a true highlight of the album). So, the metal influence, while maybe not that important, is real, but not easy to pinpoint (apart of some vocals). It's quite pervasive... No, there are no real metal parts to speak of, there's just something in the dark mood, and an extra edge to the music that bands in the style usually don't have?

This album covers quite a lot of ground: there's 'pure' aggrotech stuff ("Soulreaper"), a dark electro/ambient song ("Deathrow" - with B. Kramm of Das Ich fame), and a lot of shades in between. The techno beats are there and pretty much in the front, but they're never as important as in Suicide Commando (check "Prey" for example, even if the beats are the skeleton of the song, clearly the important parts are the keys melodies - with the vocals thrown in). The songwriting is darkly appealing, the keyboard-driven melodies are nice, and the mood is dark and gloomy, of course. Come on, what would you expect from a danceable song (and album) called "Let The Funeral Begin"?

So yeah, I really enjoyed this album! This little piece of musical darkness is really enticing, and without doubt a recommended listen to anyone interested in gothic/electronic stuff!

Highlights: "Prey", "Deathrow", "Sanctimonious"


Thanks a lot to Promonex for the help on this review!

Also, the limited edition comes in a nice digipack, with a second CD full of remixes (including one by the already mentioned Suicide Commando). Interesting in a dancefloor perspective, but the real treat is definitely the original album. Much darker.