Review by Denis on June 21, 2003.

Excuse my ignorance, but I don't know this band. I did some research with other webzines and didn't find anything. Nothing on the label's website either. The only information I could find was on the (German) band site. But I can tell you that this should change pretty soon because Luna Field is one hell of a good band who put out a rather impressive debut album, "Close To Prime."

Luna Field's music can best be described as a mixture of death and black metal with doom passages and intricate progressive song structures. Sounds good so far, aye? Great, but let me be more specific here. If I take the vocals for example, that's where the death/black part in the description comes in. Both deep, low, guttural death vocals to high shriek black vocals, all from one or perhaps two different singers. I've got no idea but the alternate use is working quite well. I prefer the deep low vocals personally but then again, you black metal maniacs might think otherwise. Speed wise, the pace is mostly mid-fast with some faster passages, such as the one in the epic black composition in 'Press The Pressure.' Luna Field use some keyboards in a discrete way here, particularly to add some atmosphere on songs like 'Odial' and 'I Am Free.' There are also a couple of instrumentals on "Close To Prime." 'The Black Side' and 'Acrid Insanity' are piano/keyboard instrumentals, whose instruments are used to convey a dark and somber mood, a bit reminiscent to the ones on Asgaroth's great album "The Red Shift." The latter has a five minute silence but when the music resumes, you'll understand what its title means. The best songs are with no doubt 'Animated An Choret' and 'Anthem About The Breed.' Both use varied tempos, awesome riffs, some more riffs and more incredible riffs! The latter has an extra clean guitar part to top it all off. Thrilling stuff. I love it!

Bottom Line: An exquisite journey starting with a dark symphony ending by complete insanity...

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Originality: 8
Production: 9
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.4 out of 10

Review by Felix on July 4, 2024.

I cannot say that I am familiar with the scene of Indonesia. I wish I had the time to monitor all national metal communities on my radar, but this is simply not the case. Now I would like to apologise a little with this review. Spot on for The Uneathly Funeral Chant, the fourth full-length of Proceus – and after this introduction, it goes without saying that I do not know any of their first three albums. But maybe this is no big deal after a hiatus of five years and a massive line-up change. Probably the new form of Proceus cannot be very well compared with the previous ones. No musician of the debut is still involved in the band.

Proceus present seven tracks with a playtime of more than 42 minutes. The average length of six minutes is not extraordinary when it comes to black metal, but they provide enough space to integrate a lot of ideas in each and every song. This is slightly problematic in the case of the Indonesian trio. Why? Well, they have not yet reached perfection in putting these ideas all together in the most song-friendly way. For example, the nearly mechanized vocals, mostly typically raw and throaty, follow every now and then a different approach, but the more or less clean singing (for instance at the beginning of 'Eclipse Of The Ancient Throne') is nothing that enriches the work. Or take the break in the opener 'Ancient Descent' at 4:08 minutes. It gives the song a completely strange aroma for some seconds and does not go hand in hand with the other parts of the track. Perhaps no big deal, but definitely not the best way to arrange this song.

Another problem is that I miss the clear contours from time to time. 'Eternal Embrace Of Enchantment Rage' sounds like an Indonesian answer to some old Darkthrone killers, but a shortly appearing sacral choir adds a strange touch and is somehow inadequate here. It is still a good song, with a great riff after six minutes that forms one of the best breaks of the album. And please get me right, I am German and I always need something to moan about. So let’s come from the details to the big picture: Proceus do not lack courage or creativity, their song-writing is (despite the aforementioned minor deficits) pretty exciting and the devilish aura of black metal is nearly omnipresent. Tracks like 'Honoured Of Death' or in particular 'Enrapted Fragnance' deliver an intensive sound experience and I begin to regret that the album seems to be only a digital release so far. That’s a pity for a materialist like me, but nevertheless it is fun to dive into these non-perfect, but stormy and vehement compositions. Scandinavian bands do not have the monopole on coldness – there is also a very fresh breeze in Indonesia.

Equipped with a not overly transparent yet acceptable production, The Unearthly Funeral Chant does not need to fear the international (European) black metal competition. Yes, the album is not able to revolutionize the genre and it fails to pulverize its eternal monuments, but nobody with a healthy mind expected that and at the end, we get seven robust songs with really great moments from time to time. In this context, I recommend to be aware of the fantastic, sharp riff that appears at the ending of the title track. Or take the ominous beginning of 'Enrapted Fragnance' which leads to a hyper-fast section of sustainable devastation. If Indonesia has more interesting albums like The Unearthly Funeral Chant, I have to come back quickly to the metallic side of this country.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10