ITP REVIEW: DARK FUNERAL: ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS

 

BAND: DARK FUNERAL ( STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN) 

 GENRE: BLACK METAL 

LABEL: REGAIN RECORDS 

RELEASE DATE: 11/19/09 (EUROPE) and 1/26/2010 (NORTH AMERICA)
 

 

PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG) :

"ATTERA ORBIS TERRARUM" (PART II), (VIDEO), 10/20/2008 via REGAIN RECORDS.  

"ATTERA ORBIS TERRARUM" (PART I) (VIDEO), 10/9/2007 via REGAIN RECORDS. 

ATTERA TOTUS SANCTUS 10/28/2005 via CANDLELIGHT RECORDS)DIABOLIS

 "DE PROFUNDIS  CLAMAVI AD TE DOMINE" (LIVE RELEASE), 4/19/2004 via REGAIN RECORDS. 

"UNDER WINGS OF HELL" (SPLIT WITH INFERNAL), 5/21/2002 via HAMMERHEART RECORDS. 

"DIABOLIS INTERIUM", 9/24/2001 via NO FASHION RECORDS. 

"TEACH CHILDREN TO WORSHIP SATAN" (EP), 3/27/2000 via NO FASHION RECORDS.

IN THE SIGN (2001-KARMEGGEDON),

"VOBISCUM SATANAS", 4/27/1998 via  NO FASHION RECORDS... 

 "THE SECRETS OF THE BLACK ARTS" 1/28/1996 via NO FASHION RECORDS...

 "DARK FUNERAL" (EP), 5/4/1994 via HELLSPAWN RECORDS.

TRACKLISTING : DARK FUNERAL: ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS:
01. The End Of Human Race
02. The Birth Of The Vampiir
03. Stigmata
04. My Funeral
05. Angelus Exuro pro Eternus
06. Demons Of Five
07. Declaration Of Hate
08. In My Dreams
09. My Latex Queen
+ My Funeral [video]

ITP RATING: ****

PRODUCTION: ****

SONGWRITING: ****

PERFORMANCE: ****
Well it's been a while since we've heard from Sweden's favorite Satanic warlords DARK FUNERAL as it's been over four and half years since these black metal masters have graced the world with the bands cauldron of blasphemy and black metal.
DARK FUNERAL have endured some lineup changes as drummer Matte Modin left the DARK FUNERAL camp to be replaced by Nils "Dominator" Fjallstrom whom is nothing short than a monster and Satan himself behind the kit.
So here we have DARK FUNERAL's latest slab of brutal blasphemy "ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS" a more varied effort with quality musicianship and good production.
DARK FUNERAL's "ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS" kicks off with opening track
"The End Of Human Race" (love that song title) blasting into Armageddon. "The End Of Human Race" features fast, brutal thrash riffs with an underlining melody, machine gun blastbeats
and a very subtle touch of symphonics, enough to raise the hairs off yours arms. \m/ \m/
"The Birth Of The Vampiir" invokes Satan, with good swirling riffage and excellent vocals via CALIGULA as he employs cold screams, growls (I love CALIGULA's screams at 4:16) and a more varied approach compared to previous performances.
"Stigmata" crawls in at slower pace with Caligula's growled chants of "STIG-MATA", as the tune picks up the pace, blasting into the darkest realms of blackness. The riffage is dissonant and far more complex and underrated with a subtle melody and epic quality worthy of repeated listens.
STIG-MATA. \m/ \m/
"My Funeral" trades blast beats for a mid pace, and a simple, subtle melody with another strong vocal performance from Caligula. The video for "My Funeral" was censored by the MYSPACE
proletariat for the suicide scene, there fore the edited version is what the public are currently viewing.
The title track of DARK FUNERAL's latest "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus" kicks in epic and pompous, with extreme intensity as DOMINATOR's blasts beats, while not varied are a metronome of time ( sounding triggered in the generic death/black metal style) and are quite impressive indeed. At 2:38 into "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus", Caligula again varies his vocals with expressive growls adding a diversity to his vox and a dark intensity to his performance, as brutal and cold as the Scandinavian winter. At 4:05 into "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus" DARK FUNERAL slow down to an epic mid pace, with again a great vocal performance from Caligula.
"Demons Of Five" invokes a raw, atmospheric intro as DARK FUNERAL enter in at a mid pace with an epic and structured tune, perhaps the most experimental on the release with a slightly more atmospheric feel, with some solos and another great vocal performance via Caligula.
"Declaration Of Hate" enters in with military marching band precision as the riff at :18 will inspire the black metal hordes to get the horns raised and the heads banging in unison.
The syncopated, melodic riffage featured in "Declaration Of Hate" is underrated indeed, a well
structured tune and your declaration of hate.
"In My Dreams" invokes a mid pace of melo/black, as the tunes melody takes center stage for
a blasphemous, creepy ballad crawling underneath your pillow from the burning pits of Lucifer's Hell.
DARK FUNERAL's "ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS" closes with "My Latex Queen", a vortex of blastbeats and epic if not repetitive melodies and riffs. At approximately 2:51 into
"My Latex Queen" the floor drops for a darker atmosphere and an almost black and roll, melancholy feel. Caligula's seductive growls closes the tune as the song fades into the dark, cold, Scandinavian forest.
DARK FUNERAL's "ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS" invoke a more varied approach to both song structure and performance for an interesting and engaging hellride.
No worries, DARK FUNERAL's "ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS" doesn't trade the bands hellish brutality as melody is integrated well into DARK FUNERAL's cauldron. CALIGULA's
vocal performance is standout, integrating hellish, emotive screams with growls. DARK FUNERAL have definitely benefited from Peter Tägtgren's production (Abyss Studios) as the bands trademark thick wall of guitar sound invoke a venomous sound. Of course, DOMINATOR's blasts are tight and I'm getting a feeling this dude is just getting started.
While some might be disappointed within DARK FUNERAL's addition of a few mid paced, melo/black tunes, the diversity is much welcomed and tasteful as the monotony of blast, scream is just that.
While short of epic, and nothing new, DARK FUNERAL's (other than the melo/black diversions) subtle nuisances of swirling melodic thrash riffs, while sometimes repetitive can be interesting in sick, twisted way.
As DARK FUNERAL have unleashed yet another quality slab of venomous hatred, one would have to ask, what does the CD title ("ANGELUS EXURO PRO ETERNUS) mean? Burning Angels For Eternity.
Oh yeh, and I love the art work.

ITP RATING: ****

PRODUCTION: ****

SONGWRITING: ****

PERFORMANCE: ****
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-