It’s no secret that a funeral is all about death, but in case you didn’t know, Lone Wanderer hit you over the head with that fact (don’t worry, it’s not a fatal blow). The title of their latest record, Exequaie, means “funeral rites” in Latin. The album cover, from Ernst Ferdinand Oehme’s 1828 painting ” Procession in the Fog,” depicts a ghostly funeral, and most of the song titles use death as a theme in some way.
Lone Wanderer have been at this for over ten years, but until now they’ve been independent, signing with High Roller Records for the release of Exequaie. According to the band’s promo sheet, this will be the third album, but perhaps it says something about how a funeral distorts the sense of time when they claim their 43-minute debut is an EP. Their next album, The Majesty of Loss, is only three minutes longer, so nobody can guess where they draw the line between LP and EP. Their albums have grown increasingly longer since then, with The Faustian Winter reaching 1 hour and now Exequaie reaching 72 minutes. Honestly, if you’re looking for a soundtrack for your funeral, this isn’t a bad choice.
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On the funeral doom scale, Lone Wanderer fits closer to the Oromet scale of My Dying Bride or Godthrymm. Exequaie blends the soft with the crushingly heavy, and the heavier riffs carry more reverb than muscle, lending a more serene feel than raw power. Across its 24 minutes, the beastly opener “To Rest Eternally” showcases Lone Wanderer‘s slow approach, with impenetrably deep vocals, frozen drum rhythms and a slowly evolving melody. The softer parts set aside the booming drums and instead shimmer with arpeggiated rhythm, while the bass plays a complementary melody. We hear this push and pull throughout Exequaie, from the melancholy and heavy to something more serene, still steeped in grief but bringing a little hope. Ironically, “Anhedonia” presents the album’s most enjoyable and memorable riffs in its first minutes. The rest is also excellent, sinking into boundless sorrow before closing in calm. The song guides you into the gentle acceptance of the fate that awaits us all in the end.
Following the theme of “funerals,” many elements on Exequaie seem to represent religious symbols or divine figures. The first minutes of “To Rest Eternally” provide a distant reminder of a church setting with the ringing of bells. This sacred setting returns in the finale, “Epistemology of the Passed,” where the instruments play a mournful dirge alongside melancholy arpeggios. Bruno Schotten’s vocals serve as an omnipresent character, his low rumbles coming like thunder rolling across the sky. Scattered throughout the album, Lone Wanderer perform sections of spoken word that reinforce this divine persona. While such song sections are generally annoying, here they fit perfectly, taking on the presence of an Oz-like character, imposing yet distant. The purpose of these elements may be inscrutable, but they provide a sense of formality and authority that accompanies death.
However great the individual tracks, Exequiae‘s biggest obstacle is its own length. With any funeral doom record, holding the listener’s attention can be a challenge, and a 72-minute runtime across 5 songs feels more like work than pleasure. However, there’s plenty to enjoy on this epic record, and Lone Wanderer apply some variety to mix things up a bit. “Existence Nullified” has a moment with loud death-doom riffs that takes me back to early Swallow the Sun. “Epistemology of the Passed” has a similar increase in tempo thanks to the energetic tremolo and lively drum hits. These moments are brief and few, but all the more notable for their rarity. Ultimately, Exequiae‘s length isn’t something that could prevent its success, because it has such outstanding compositions. There’s so much beauty in the music that it could go on for twice as long and still be heavenly.
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Lone Wanderer kick off 2026 powerfully with a wonderful melancholy. There’s something in the band’s often gentle sound that creates calm, in contrast to bands that exude despair and melancholy with louder, authoritarian guitar tones. Don’t let the 72 minutes scare you. Take your time and let Exequiae‘s blend of melancholy, serene, even hopeful tones overwhelm you and carry you, for a while, to a place where you no longer need to worry.
Rating : 4.0/5.0
Label : High Roller Records
Website : Bandcamp | Releases on Facebook
worldwide : January 30, 2026
The review was done by Angry metal guy.
