COLDEÄCCOL

"Coldeäccol" is the second demo recording by Finnish avantgarde/experimental music artist Funcunt. The demo was independently released in 1991. It´s the successor to the 1990 "Minutewelli" demo. Funcunt formed in 1989 and released two demos before changing their name to F in 1993. They disbanded in 1994 but did manage to release the 1993 "I-III" debut full-length studio album before the split-up.

Listening to "Coldeäccol" is soon becomes clear that Funcunt is one of the most weird, avantgarde, and experimental extreme metal acts out of the early 90s Finnish scene. In fact I don´t recall having heard anything like this before (their closest relative is maybe Pakeni, but even they sound completely normal compared to the material on "Coldeäccol"). Contemporary artists (although Swedish) like Pan.Thy.Monium and Carbonized who also toyed with avantgarde and experimental songwriting ideas sound accessible compared to the eclectic fusion type extreme metal assault on the ears that you´re exposed to when listening to "Coldeäccol".

The music features elements of death metal, but it would be wrong to call this death metal, because the many weird musical ideas and shifts make this almost impossible to label correctly. The music features what I´d call mathcore type riffs and rhythms before such a term was even coined, but it´s also quite dynamic music with mellow parts and loud fusion parts (featuring instruments like violin and saxophone). Keyboards and studio effects (tape manipulation as far as I can hear) are also used in addition to the regular instrumentation of bass (which are often slapped), guitar, and drums. The vocals are aggressive shouting.

"Coldeäccol" features only two tracks, but both tracks are 10 minutes plus in length and both tracks are very complex in structure and are generally unconventional in songwriting approach. A bit surprisingly maybe, since "Coldeäccol" is a demo release, it features a sound production which is close to sounding like a professional studio sound production, and no one would have questioned if this had been released as an EP or a very short full-length release instead of a demo.

Upon conclusion this is one of the more exciting, adventurous, and unique releases I´ve heard in a while, and fans of avantgarde and experimental extreme metal are advised to give this one a listen. While Funcunt are often lumped in with the contemporary artists from the early Finnish death metal scene, they actually have more in common with artists like Henry Cow and Faust. What a delightfully weird release this one is...a 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).