1000 Funerals
Portrait of a Dream

“And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted – nevermore!”
The Raven - E. A. Poe

This is exactly what the entire branch of the darkest, most depressed, and gloomy metal seems to say. A harrowing demonstration of this thought oddly comes to us from Iran. Yes, you read that correctly, from Iran. This band, formed and disbanded within a few months (as far as we can tell; it's practically impossible to find information about this musical entity online), comes from a country distant from our way of life, distant from metal, and far from the sounds dear to the blackest doomsters and the darkest souls. Despite this, a black veil is woven by these musicians, and if no one told you where they come from, you would surely associate them with one of the usual "depressed" countries.

The first and only work is titled “Portrait Of A Dream” and dates back to 2005. It is a desperate, leaden portrait of a harrowing musical dream, almost a nightmare. One walks with closed eyes and hands over ears, a childish device to protect oneself from the monsters outside, the monsters of fear. At the beginning of “Igneous Lips” it is silence we encounter, a silence that gradually fades while the lament of a synth cradled by piano notes begins, all set on an ethereal and desperate bed. The slow drums enter, and the desperation of the growl vocals bite us. Towards the end, the keyboards enter into a "song" of pain, caressing our hearts. Thus pass slightly more than 9 minutes, without noticing it. Plucking and violin lullabies for the intro of “Final Wish”, cut off by the blackest organ and harpsichord effects, with distorted guitar almost oppressed by the darkness of the shredding and slow growls. It’s all despair: either you get up or give up; the choice is ours. The final organ fades away like in a cloud of incense; and the piano, keyboards, and whispers of “Your Fancy” capture us, giving us a moment to breathe. It’s like seeing the exit from a gloomy labyrinth. It’s a melancholy that sublimates, mingling with tears of liberation. A feather swaying in the breeze. “Moon’s Heart” returns to the black and slowness of a funeral doom mixed with dark ambient. It’s like a procession, slow, suffering. We must find the strength within ourselves to fight, to resist. The poetic delicacy of the title track helps us, the final “Portrait Of A Dream”. The piano takes the lead in a sweet melancholy, a “sad” honey. But it is a relief for the heart, blackened and pierced by despair. It’s a collapsing, exhausted, and surrendering to dreaming, delicately cradled in the night.

The whole work is very emotional, undoubtedly appreciable and well done (especially considering the origin), but I don’t feel like giving a full 4. Perhaps in the future, I might change my mind, but for now, my rating is a 3.5 rounded down. Nonetheless, the work is recommended to lovers of the sounds and the sensations described above.

As said at the beginning, the group disbanded shortly after the album was recorded. The lineup (apparently consisting of 3 or 4 members) also included a woman. It seems the cause of the breakup was ostracism toward metal and, above all, the denial of women's freedom (the female member had to quit the project under her husband's imposition, as far as I understand). Could the title, “Portrait Of A Dream,” refer to the dream of being able to express oneself, to be able to create music from the heart, without restrictions? Now we have left the portrait of this dream, to be preserved and admired.