Review: “En Murru En Taivu” by Hautajaisyö

After a run from 2006 to 2014 as Redeye, a decade ago Hautajaisyö (or “Funeral Night“) was was born as guitarist Sami Lustig and vocalist Janne Partanen buried the old name and and switched to screaming in their native Finnish. Ten years, four albums and a fistful of dynamite later and the outfit, who are rounded out by a rhythm section of bassist Simo Pesonen and drummer Teemu Roth who joined in 2017, have survived to tell the tale. As they work on album number five they decided to re-record four cuts from their discography and refreshing them to be… more aggressive and unveiled an EP in “En Murru En Taivu” (or “I Don’t Break, I Don’t Bend“) via Inverse Records. It’s a Death Metal celebration of a decade of destruction with a certain sense of déjà vu about it…

Rather than a new song, “En Murru En Taivu” (or “I Don’t Break, I Don’t Bend“) begins with a re-recording of a previously unreleased cut in “Loppu On Lähellä” (or “End Is Near“). A track from the demo era of the band circa 2014, it has been one fans have heard live and begged the band commit to tape numerous times over the years. Galloping Death Metal drums and earworm old school riffage with just a hint of Slayer burst into blast beats and throat splittingly harsh vocals as the beast awakens before a gang chant moment tears down your blue skies making this one an absolute ripper and worth the admission fee alone. The remaining trio of cuts all appear on the bands 2015 self titled album, a record soaked in themes of Death, Melancholy, Depression, Suicide and Failure painted in Death Thrash sound ideology. “Uneenkuiskaajat” (or “Dream Whisperers“) actually appeared on a promo the band dropped while looking for label support ahead of the release of that album so it’s presence here has been well thought out. Brutal vocals from Partanen are the single heaviest element, the clanky bass bleeding out into the mix as it takes on more of a rhythm guitar role. Riffs fly in all directions as the drums pound, the sounds of 90’s Groove Metal bleeding into the 80’s Death Thrash in the process.

A bass solo from Pesonen gets “Minä Olen Vain Puu” (or “I’m Just a Tree“) started in style, the four piece managing to capture their live energy as they commit these new renditions to the archive. A blistering rendition, this one as a sharper edge than the original and cuts through the opposition like a hot knife through butter. The bands first ever composition “Mieleni Varjoissa” (or “Shadows of my mind“) is the final cut selected, it’s blackened moments blowing the mind. Another gallop through Death Thrash territory, it finds Partanen in truly demonic vocal form as he roars like a man possessed, the rhythm section inflicting further wounds as they pummel the discerning listener to death. You simply can’t help but bang your head, cracking a smile at the evil insanity of it all. Like an action film during which you might question the incoherent plot, just disengage your brain and enjoy the stunts because while this record might not be strictly necessary, it’s plain old fashioned good fun… [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Loppu On Lähellä
2. Uneenkuiskaajat (2024 re-recording)
3. Minä Olen Vain Puu (2024 re-recording)
4. Mieleni Varjoissa (2024 re-recording)

“En Murru En Taivu” by Hautajaisyö is out 12th December 2024 via Inverse Records and is available over at bandcamp