On their own terms, Narrow House are the most accomplished new funeral doom band that I have heard in some time: They use the cello and keyboards beautifully to ease the flow from chord to chord in the riff, and the vocals have a fine tone to them.

Solitude Productions once again crosses our path with a mighty fine funeral doom album, this time from Ukraine. When looking at the cover of Narrow House’s ‘A Key To Panngrieb’ I am sure funeral doom is not something that will spring to mind. Pure funeral doom is really isn’t. It’s more psychedelic funeral doom such as we know it from bands such as Esoteric and Faal and in the quieter almost ambient passages of Shape Of Despair.

The album is big, open and spacious like the musicians are not even playing in the same country, let alone the same studio. There are huge gaps in every guitar strike, cymbal and drum hit which makes this seem much slower than what is actually is. They bleed out their music so listening to this is like being strangled to death very very slowly which is a killer hook and perfect for a funeral doom exercise.

It’s virtually flawless in structure, flow, composition, delivery, and production. Narrow House create such a gravitational force with their combination of suffocating heaviness, dreary phantom atmosphere, and solemn melodies that it’s damn near impossible to escape it’s pull into the abyss.

During these 45 minutes of funereal exile, the 'Russian school', let us say, comes in good shape, four themes touched very competent, well-structured, with a good balance between the keys and guitars and a well that throaty voice, sparsely, alternating with a clear tone and lean a little to the tortuous.

A very successful album that will delight fans of the genre and can be a good approach for those who do not yet know the genre.

The keyboards play also a major part in their music, the vocals are as versatile as they can be but still keeping a growling tone most of the time, the drums and bass lines really capitalize their importance and the excellent production allows all this to happen. So all in all Narrow House released a very good debut album, one that will certainly attract the interest of Funeral Doom followers out there.

7. What does the word “Panngrieb” means? Does the album has any concept? What can we imagine when we read the title “A Key to Panngrieb”?

“Panngrieb” is nothing and everything at the same time. To start with, this word does not exist (well, until we came up with it, obviously), so save your time and don’t try to find it in the dictionary or ancient mythology. “Panngrieb” can be everything you want it to be, it is an individual experience of each listener and our album is the key to it.

"Narrow House are offering a very good record full of gloomy atmosphere as they are elegant, going to place not too far from what has been done by the former countrymen Comatose Vigil, and then showing all their devotion to the Skepticism, authentic tutelary deities of this variant atmospheric funeral"

“A Key to Panngrieb” is definitely for fans of Funeral Doom Metal that need a bit more than just punishing riffs repeated over and over. With the atmospheric elements, Narrow House manages to be above the average bands in the genre and should actually be considered as one of promises of the genre.

"With dire guitars, keyboards, atmospheric, ultra-slow drums, this album starts your trip with Poslednee Pristanishe. In the course of its 14 minutes you can experience numerous sensations, especially with entering cello line. Every feeling of anguish and rejection comes to mind and that feeling of emptiness reigns in our tired body"

Russian newcomers Narrow House are still defining their own style, but on the basis of this debut they’re well on their way to doing so. The first thing you notice about A Key To Panngrieb is how lush and professional it sounds – big strings, clear, unmuddied production and perfectly crisp drums give the music a depth and space that you don’t often hear in underground Metal. It sounds MASSIVE, and that sound really supports the feel that Narrow House are going for, which is one of utter melancholy and despair.