Reaching a psychic point of no return is only just a starting point within the internalized damnation depicted via this debut full-length album from Russian funeral doom metal trio UMUS as loss-stoked grief bends the will of their protagonist into captivating dissolution. An experience of purely introverted distress ‘Voidlit‘ offers a modern standard for atmospheric post-metal, doom and dark ambient stoked ritualism which is equally characterized by ripples of funeral death/doom metal inspired heft. Trading between these values within rich ominous, starkly tempered sound design marks the experience as one of direst crumbling spirits, a tragic emptying of the individual in five riveting stages of de-actualization.

Umus formed as a trio circa 2024 between guitarist V. and drummer R., who’re both active in extreme post-metal band Crust and drone/doom project Sönma, alongside vocalist E. who I am not familiar with. This studio-only project intends a form of tension riddled funeral death/doom inspired by dark ambient works in its use of slow-seeping pace and thickly layered atmospheric development. In trading between a cavernous death metal roar, hymnal meditative stance and doom-shaped despair on this debut they suggest a depiction of grief’s alienation, a dissolving sense of self experienced in waves of increasingly internalized despondency.

In practicum this approach is tonally akin to 2010’s-era atmospheric sludge/post-metal inspired funeral doom a la Lycus or Un where forlorn guitar swells and sludgier, forceful percussion are used to push Umus‘ expression into both intimate and psychedelia-induced entrancement. You’ll get some of this feeling from opener “Ghost of Grief” but “Oblivion” generates the most clear balance between hopeless self-examination and dramatic wandering through unknown realms. In fact dissociation seems to overrule all as the full listen proceeds and a sense of spaced-out, disconnection from the moment becomes the major characterization behind ‘Voidlit‘.

Edging the ear along these five ~10-15 minute corridors of ritualistic descending progressions doesn’t necessarily key the ear into 90’s funeral doom trait and the band’s naming of the sub-genre’s most popular/enduring acts doesn’t necessarily cue the ear directly into the dark chasm that is ‘Voidlit‘ outright. Umus‘ occasional use of hazed-over layers of dissonance, tribally summoned slow-motion rhythms and monastic/chanted vocals (~3:49 minutes into “Ghost of Grief”) speak to modern forms of shamanic/ritualistic psychedelic doom (re: “Harbinger of the End” intro) more than anything else if not for the growling severity afforded its darker ouevre. As the album burns on the trio’s layering thickens and begins to rely upon dark ambient soundscapes for liminal passage, further pulling the total effect away from the gothic doom-stoked ways of old.

By the time the humming droning-into-the-light endpoint of mammoth closer/title track “Voidlit” begins to wane within its ~15 minute expanse the deeper layers of interest appear to resign toward random guitar fills which appear improvised beneath the main progression at hand. This is a miniscule detail considering the scale of the full listen (and the song itself) but taken as a closer its saunter into nothingness will undoubtedly appear fatigued, satisfying as an endpoint but incomplete as we find the piece technically has a part two (“Voidlit II”) if you’ve gotten a physical copy of ‘Voidlit‘. The second part of the piece is moreso a descent into Hell and proper closure as Umus damn their search to its deepest point of lost control, a finale unto anesthesia. Without the context of this piece the full listen loses a great chunk of its reward for the listener’s patience.

For the funeral death/doom metal ear seeking equal parts despondency and fixated meditative muse ‘Voidlit‘ should prove brilliantly immersive, engaging in its slowly trudged-through entirety and many layered droning execution. Per my own experience Umus‘ efforts were at their best when balancing transitional movements between heavier plod and the rare spiritually summoned moments, using vocal variety at a minimum in order to highlight the greater roadmap with their finer breakthroughs. There aren’t a ton of ‘modern’ funeral doom records landing with impact this year, so, this one’d stood out immediately to my ear per the total package (sound design, etc.) and has thus far proven substantive in its searching hourlong rumination. A moderately high recommendation.

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