Uncanny times, indeed. First, Pope Leo XIV underwent surgery to remove a cancerous section of his lung. Only a few days later, a priest in Ecuador met a less fortunate fate when a gigantic crucifix fell and crushed him during his sermon on the spontaneity of death. Then, Fvneral Fvkk made their triumphant return after 7 years with Indecent Idols, which tells about child sex abuse committed by church officials. To round out the month of October comes the latest slate of spirituality-themed funeral doom from Wales’s Pantheïst.1 These guys have been at the game for some time, releasing their debut, O Solitude, back in 2003. Kostas Panagiotou (Towards Atlantis Lights, ex-Clouds) founded the band back in 2000 and has been its only consistent face. Outside of bassist Matt Strangis (Doubtsower), the rest of the members are brand new to the project. Does this new blood inject a jolt of energy on Uncanny Times, or will it have you reaching for your rosary and praying for a swift end to the record?
Imagine that your local Catholic church revamped its choir into a funeral doom band and you’ll have a decent idea of what Pantheïst sounds like. Kostas has been doing this for decades, using his keyboard as an organ to summon church pews and communion wafers into your headphones; only he replaces the choir with death growls and heavy guitars for a darker, more despairing tone. Uncanny Times introduces a new tool into Pantheïst’s arsenal in the form of Linda Dumitru, a classically trained soprano. Dumitru’s fantastic performance fits the thematic content, adding a sense of awe with her angelic voice and feeling right at home with the funeral doom cadence. She proves a mainstay throughout the album, mostly supplanting Kostas as lead vocalist. Kostas still provides growls, notably on the aggressive death/doom cut, “Laughing Falcon” (which has some whiffs of early Swallow the Sun), and the two sing a duet of sorts on “Kuebiko.”
Pantheïst take a more classical approach to funeral doom, placing it closer in sound to Tempestuous Fall than Bell Witch. The band’s vision culminates in the brilliant “Ithaca Out of Sight.” This 13-minute epic opens with a melancholic, beautiful cello part from Luke Clemenger (Froglord) before Dumitru’s soprano adds an operatic character amidst the despairing chug of guitars and steady thrum of the kit. Jeremy Lewis casts a mesmerizing spell with a fantastic guitar solo, leading into a gentle piano solo that serves as a false sense of peace for the darkness that comes. The song morphs into a much darker beast in its final minutes, coalescing into blackened blast beats, tremolos, and rasps that impressively cap off this monumental vision. This impressive track is the standout, but the record has plenty more to like, from the excellent opener, “The Final Journey,” to the gothic closer, “Requiem for Your World.”
Excessive song lengths and weak mixing weigh down the stellar songwriting on Uncanny Times. Sixty-five minutes isn’t necessarily out of line for funeral doom, especially a record with progressive tendencies, but this would have benefited enormously from some trimming. The 16-minute “Requiem for Your World” in particular grows a bit stale with repetitive segments that drag far too long. The mid-track “Entropy” also proves an odd goose, a folk rock piece with dulcimer and lyre parts (performed by Ian Arkley). It feels more like an intermission than an organic part of the album. I would have also liked to hear a stronger outing from the guitar, which suffers from a mix that favors the keyboards. The occasional inspired lead riff rears its head here and there, such as Frank Allain’s (Fen, Fellwarden) guest spot on “The Final Journey,” to show how a stronger, more creative guitar presence could have elevated Uncanny Times.
While Uncanny Times doesn’t unseat my favorite funeral doom record of the year, which would be Lone Wanderer’s Exequiae, it’s certainly one of the more unique and memorable takes on the genre. It also proves a creative direction for Pantheïst, and while it might not be easy to write another such album without it sounding like too much of the same thing, I’d be curious to hear another crack at it with a more focused and tightened direction. If this was how the music at Mass sounded at my local church, that might be enough to get me to return and experience the glory of God doom. Praise be!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Argonauta Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 30th, 2026
The post Pantheïst – Uncanny Times Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
