UMUR A Pyre of Lost Dreams is the debut full-length studio album by Danish doom metal act Black Wreath. The album was released in November 2009 by Head Not Found. While A Pyre of Lost Dreams is a debut album, the three musicians behind the band, certainly aren´t debutants. Kim Larsen ( guitars, synths, drums, vocals), who is the one behind most of the songwriting on the album, is known for his involvement in acts like Saturnus, Of the Wand & the Moon, Solanaceae, Blazing Eternity and The Loveless. Peter Mesnickow ( vocals, drums) is known for his involvement with Blazing Eternity and Dave Müller ( bass, synth) is also a part of Whelm. The experienced nature of the musicians is audible and a great asset to the album.

The music on the album is one part old school doom/ death with a symphonic edge in the vein of early My Dying Bride and one part funeral doom. The latter influence ensures that the pace is kept very, very slow throughout the album, while the former provides epic melancholic melodies which at times, when there are most layers of instrumentation, becomes almost symphonic in nature. There are some truly breathtaking moments on the album like the last couple of minutes of Solitude Rising (Missing All Exit), which brilliantly combines epic symponic doom/ death with the more dark/ obscure funeral doom influence. The music is slow building and atmospheric. The vocals are growls.

There are only four tracks on the 50:31 minute long album, but as the minute count reveals the tracks are very long. The first three tracks all exceed the 13 minute mark while the fourth and final track on the album called Nidstöng is just short of 8 minutes long. The first three tracks are high quality doom/ death/ funeral doom tracks with a great atmosphere while the last track isn´t nearly as exciting. It´s a kind of ambient/ atmospheric track and honestly nothing interesting to my ears.

The production hits the right balance between the grand and epic and the more dark and gritty. Great sound for these songs.

A Pyre of Lost Dreams has really surprised me in a positive way. I didn´t expect the sound of the album to move me the way it did. Music this slow is either hit or miss for me, but Black Wreath succeed in making doomy and repetitive riffing an integrated and interesting part of a greater whole. The synths that the band add to the music work really great for the dark and symphonic atmosphere and all in all the band are obviously really great songwriters. A 3.5 - 4 star rating is warranted. If Nidstöng had been a bit more interesting this would have been a full 4 star rating.