Mournful Congregation – The Book of Kings (20 Buck Spin, 2011)

As a metal journalist and critic, I occasionally run into albums that are so fucking good that they’re confounding.  No amount of hyperbole will suffice with which to convey the brilliance of their myriad layers and intricacies.  Such is the case with The Book of Kings, the fourth full length from Australian funeral doom practitioners Mournful Congregation.  In listening to it, I feel as if my meager skills as a wordsmith are completely incapable of describing such a masterful recording, and yet I’m still compelled to spill the digital ink in service of this great work.