And since the vocals are so prominent in the mix, you get to hear every goofy line in perfect clarity. "The blood runs warm down her sanctimonious thighs" is an actual line from "To Carve Another Wound" that is just cringe-worthy. The lyrics elsewhere are not much better, either. Seriously, google the lyrics for "Temple of Ahriman", which also happens to be the worst track on the album as it is completely boring and devoid of any intriguing moments. And while Dark Funeral has never really been known for subtlety or poetics in their lyrics, the lyrics here are pretty consistently bad and, in some cases, even laughable. While Heljarmadr as vocalist is great in terms of performance, he sits WAY too loud in the mix, which does not fit well with the otherwise more ambient tone of the production. This, however, brings us to the bad points. He brings some much needed diversity to Dark Funeral's sound by incorporating more contemporary aesthetics, such as growls, moans and "throat chanting" which helps bring their sound more into the modern era of Black Metal. The new vocalist is also a good addition and way better than Caligula. The title track is also another highlight which displays good old fashioned Dark Funeral: high speed, evil melodicism that would sound right at home on "Secrets of the Black Arts" or "Vobiscum Satanas". There are also some genuinely good moments here, especially in "Nail Them to the Cross", where some more modern, almost "groovy" riffs bring to mind some of the better moments from bands like Deathspell Omega, Enthroned, Behexen and others who have evolved their sound and remained potent in the Black Metal world over the last 10 or so years. This is a very welcome change from the hyper-produced, overly hi-fi tone that Dark Funeral gave us in the 2000's. Starting with the good: The production is a throw back to the more ambient, grainy tone of the 90's. Unfortunately, aside from a few good elements, this album is ultimately a letdown. I was expecting a return to form in the spirit of the "Secrets of the Black Arts" era. Review Summary: Despite some moments that shine and an effort to bring their sound into the modern era of Black Metal, Dark Funeral's first album in 7 years is ultimately a letdown.Īfter 7 years, I was really hoping this would be the BM come-back album of the year.
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