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May 17, 2012 |
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01. King Antichrist
02. 666 Voices Inside
03. Attera Totus Sanctus
04. Godhate
05. Atrum Regina
06. Angel Flesh Impaled
07. Feed On The Mortals
08. Final Ritual
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Welcome to Lord Ahriman's Black Metal factory. Please hold on to the guard rails tightly as we'll be traveling at about a hundred blast beats per second through the seven layers of hell. Remember to observe the no smoking sign at all times and please be ready to place your protective hearing earmuffs over your ears as Emperor Magus Caligula will be screaming Satan at any...
Wait a minute, I thought I was listening to a DARK FUNERAL album, where are all the Satan screams? I don't recall hearing one. The benchmark of this band has inexplicably disappeared. Do you mean to tell me that in all of their future shows every track from this album will have no moments when I am to hear a scream, a wail or even a whimper to the unholy dark lord of the abyss? Damn you all to hell! Seriously though, this is a welcomed respite from the law the band has been enforcing since their manifestation some ten years ago. I'm forced to pay more attention to them as a band and not stop for a giggle with the over-the-top and slightly cartoonish approach as it appeared. While they haven't changed much since their third album, they have started to add in a bit more variance in their Black Metal attack.
The most prevalent and main welcomed change is that the lyrics are more poetic than all of their releases combined. Actually, when read while listening to the album, the lyrics add a decent amount of mood. It's nice to hear faux-satanic drivel dedicated to the evil deity that resides very, very, very deep into the earth that have a bit of callous soul contained within them. That's not to say that the lyrics are the welcome worm of dark poetry this side of Gothic Metal because it's still layered with clichés and stereotypes; however, it's not quite as blatant as beforehand. This is no small difference. I used to grin and giggle at their sometimes obnoxious inclination towards the over-usage of Satan's name, but now that I know that I'm not going to have it screamed in my ear once every two minutes I feel like I can sit back and just enjoy the unholy matrimony of evil music DARK FUNERAL has created.
While DARK FUNERAL's substance has never been top notch, they have always been several steps above standard Black Metal fodder and could easily be considered the best band out there at creating standard satanic Black Metal. I've also found them to be a better choice to go with when compared bands such as MARDUK. That accompanying fascination towards Satan can become an annoyance, though they have usually remained an entertaining listen. Their approach may not gain them tons of respect in their field but I have a feeling that's not what they're going for.
Since Lord Blackmoon's departure left Lord Ahriman in charge of the band, the overall intensity on their recent albums has risen a couple of notches but has lost a bit of the realm of overall atmosphere that "Secrets Of The Black Arts" had. On the other hand, it seems that in performing covers of SLAYER's "Dead Skin Mask" and KING DIAMOND's "The Trial" has left a spot of influence in the melodic approach the band has utilized since and thus has made a welcomed return.
The melody is sometimes buried so deep in the mix that it can easily be mistaken for keyboards. If the band hadn't made such strong proclamations that they would never use that instrument, I might have been convinced that the musical keys were trying to hide behind the rest of the band. This is builds atmosphere that has been missing since "Secretes". There are also some lead guitars, including a weak solo on "Feed The Mortals" and even though it’s nothing to scream at, I did appreciate its presence.
They've also integrated more Death Metal into their sound similar to what bands like ZYKLON and HECATE ENTHRONED have been using recently. Including the rougher edge in their style, there is a spot or two where some Death Metal influenced start-and-almost-stop has trickled in. Employing this trend has served DARK FUNERAL well as they’ve been able to maintain a status of being current in the styles of the industry and show that they can, indeed, grow as a unit without making these comparisons obvious.
Despite their small evolutionary steps, nothing has caused DARK FUNERAL to drastically change their approach. They're pretty much still the same band playing fast paced blasphemous Black Metal. High quality innovation and the desire to establish the band as a superior has never been their forte and it stands to reason that we should never expect anything of the sort from them now or at any time in the immediate future. These slight changes have, on the other hand, kept them from growing weary on the ear after too long.
Like 1349, they have left behind the cold ambiance present in their debut, opting for a warm and furry production that nestles you comfortably in their arms rather than leave you removed from the whole process as their Black Metal ancestors had done with their under-produced cold Metal approach. Though 1349 has a much better and more intelligent drummer in how Frost composes his drumming, you can't fault drummer Matte Modin for his performance. He doesn't abuse the blasts, he doesn't lose his time and though he may not have provided an inspired performance he still is able to maintain enough momentum to allow the album to continue and, on occasion, be the most interesting element of the band.
In general, I don't think anything, other than the fact that I didn't hear any Satan screams and that there a bit more melody was included throughout the album maintained my interest for any significant length of time. This is another solid if rather unremarkable release from a band that has never pretended or attempted to be anything more than what it is.
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