Style: Funeral Doom Metal, Folk (Mixed Vocals, Mostly Harsh Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Bell Witch, Ahab
Country: China
Release date: 21 August 2026

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I’ve always said the Subway needs to cover more funeral doom metal, but the genre’s conceit is a bit antithetical to the progressive spirit. Yes, the songs reach the ungodly lengths prog fans love, but the emphasis is on dirgeful tempos—typically slower than a fit person’s resting heart rate—morose atmospherics, and simplistic instrumental performances. With one goal in mind—the manufacturing of melancholy—there simply isn’t much room for all but the mildest of experimentation. But full-length debut 无何有 (Wu He You) from China’s Xié Gòu, following not long after last year’s EP, pushes the envelope just enough for me to turn this place into The Progressive Funeral. The Funereal Subway?

The differentiator for Xié Gòu from their genre cohort is the usage of Chinese folk music. Band member 简七 plays traditional woodwinds and strings throughout the album,¹ contributing to a sound I’ve never heard incorporated into a funeral doom album before. Although typically melodic instruments, the folk strings’ inclusion serves the atmosphere above all, especially as they’re nearly inaudible plucking behind the obnoxiously-loud sonic gravel of guitar distortion. That they’re relegated to a spectral presence is a shame, while the utilitarian harsh vocals and programmed drums are so loud in the mix. However, the production is also wildly inconsistent, and in the starting minutes of the second of the two hulking tracks, “桂树 (The Lunar Osmanthus),” the folk strings randomly creep into focus.

The flute takes turns with the crunch of electric guitar as the emphasis, but the woodwind rarely oscillates between more than two notes. Other proggy funeral doom bands (Bell Witch, Ahab, Colosseum) are so interesting because of their rich explorations of tonality; despite the entire extra dimension of new instruments, Xié Gòu wrote an album that feels entirely bereft of melodicism. But even a simple woodwind part can be beautiful with the right player: the flute’s shrill calls in the opening minutes of 无何有 (Wu He You) remind me of an Aztec death whistle—thematically appropriate. The way the instrument violently cuts through the bad mixing is an assault on the ear drums, like at 9:30 in “神山 (The Sacred Mountain),” an unpleasant surprise that makes me think the album would be better off without the folk elements entirely. 

Fittingly for a funeral doom band, that last thought is depressing because, unfortunately, everything about 无何有 (Wu He You)—except the either-too-loud-or-too-quiet Chinese instrumentation—is bog-standard, amateur-hour funeral doom. The record trudges along at a glacial crawl with no standout performances from either member of Xié Gòu. The slow riffs are decent enough for a funeral doom fan like myself, but the production really kills their impact with how distortion-forward the mix is—miraculously, the bass is audible, though. Xié Gòu show songwriting chops once: “桂树 (The Lunar Osmanthus)” actually picks up its pace for the middle portion, providing some momentum to the songwriting, culminating in cool moments like 13:30 where the East Asian tonal quality seeps through. But soon thereafter, the track concludes with four minutes of essentially isolated guitar, only a bit more interesting than Sunn O)) without that band’s rich amplifier depth.

As much as I want to bring funeral doom to the blog and have throngs of prog fans enamored by the genre, 无何有 (Wu He You) is much more interesting for its gimmicky concept than its content. To have any chance at crossover success—or success in even the funeral-doom sphere—Xié Gòu need to dramatically improve their production and focus on making more cohesive long tracks; only a few minutes on the entire record are attention-grabbing. Of course, that’s not the point of funeral doom, per se, but regardless of how you take that last statement, Xié Gòu didn’t reach their potential on 无何有 (Wu He You).

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Recommended tracks: 桂树 (The Lunar Osmanthus)
You may also like: Ivan, Oromet, Colosseum, Ea
Final verdict: 3/10

Related links: Bandcamp

Label: Independent

Xié Gòu is:
– 简七 – Traditional instruments, Clean Vocal
– 影 – Guitar, Bass, Harsh Vocal

1. I do not know which instruments in particular, as they’re uncredited beyond “traditional instruments.” ↩︎