No Fashion At last! I was jumping through hoops when
I first heard that Dark Funeral were about to release their third full-length
album. Let me say that this by no means picks up where Vobiscum Satanas
left off, nor was Teach Children to Worship Satan any kind of taste
for things to come. Diabolis Interium is an altogether more crushing
(and varied) Dark Funeral album.
The rasping vocals of Magus Caligula are quite simply
wonderful, as is the trademark Tagtgren sound. Without question, this
is their finest work since the self-titled debut mini CD. One thing that
interests me about Diabolis Interium is the changes in tempo, particularly
the slow-paced thunder of "Goddess Of Sodomy," and the deep-throated scream
along chorus of "Hail Murder." The blastbeats are a lot more pronounced
than before, and there is also a more violent edge to the lyrics. Each
track stands out on its own, in a way that the tracks on Vobiscum Satanas
(despite their excellence) simply didn't.
Earlier songs, such as "Open the Gates" and "My Dark
Desires" (both Dark Funeral classics in my book) were a tough act to follow,
but the ineffable kings of darkness have, yet again, delivered the goods.
Say what you will, but I believe the future of black metal is safe...
