Dark Funeral
Diabolis Interium

THE REVIEW

"The empire of Satan is coming" is with this cry that Dark Funeral announces the advent of the best album the Swedish band has ever created: "Diabolis Interium".

The decay of previous works like "The Secrets Of The Black Art", the rawness of the first demo bearing the group's own name, merge with a new type of compositional refinement showcased by the new "Dark Funeral". This work was released in 2001, after "Vobiscum Sathanas", bearing the mark of Abyss Studio, which seems to foresee the result that the recorded album will achieve, thus producing a record with perfect sound, fully reflecting the listener's needs.

It is no longer a monotonous CD where the only atmospheres evoked were an impressive iciness and complete detachment, but a blend between the blackest coldness and a sort of approach to the proposed music, and it is precisely in this novelty, which seems trivial but is not, that Dark Funeral surpasses every previous release. It will always be the frost and wind of the North that influences them, but something has changed for the better. It is still an album not difficult to assimilate, direct and unequivocal, but capable of surprising once again. Indeed, there is always a new element hiding behind the darkest corner, in this case, we speak of a new type of rhythm that finds ample space between the violent lashes and the very fast periods, and it is the slow and cadenced rhythm, an absolute musical novelty for these artists.

Yes, the album is not just a "machine gun" that fires devastating riffs and "pedals" in bursts, rather it alternates heavy and light weaponry with astonishing results. The finished product is complete and leaves one fearfully attracted by its stylistic content, which for some aspects is so innovative. It is pointless to discuss the lyrics or their substance; one would end up being repetitive and pointless. It is better to talk about the music itself, the one that is really played. The CD begins or rather invades our ears with "The Arrival Of The Satan's Empire", a very fast track that almost terrifies with its violence, a long scream of rare vocal ability opens the dances preceding furious guitars and a "murderous" drum. There is no time to recover before the Swedes attack the listener again with "Hail Murder", a slash similar to the one Ocham implemented around 1200, determining the demise of Scholasticism. The riffing is already more elaborate but not yet completely. Just wait for the subsequent "Goddess Of Sodomy" to understand the true technique possessed by the band, a black metal masterpiece that shows melodic traits combined with the usual iciness; if one can conceive of a perfect track, this comes very close.

The fourth song is the title-track, a return to the first in terms of timing and compositional similarity, but it's just a preamble to "An Apprentice Of Satan", another masterpiece faster than the previous one, as well as melodic and decayed. But also the strongest malice and fury can transform into gloom and extreme darkness, and this is what this song expresses, which has the ability to first assume cruel and raw tones only to later move to a sort of "sadness" or better yet almost melancholy, showing us the Dark Funeral close to their work, those we weren't used to listening to. The continuation immediately contradicts the previously created atmosphere, but it's right this way, a return to reality is necessary: "Thus I Have Spoken" is a monolithic and martial track, the rightful continuation to "An Apprentice Of Satan" with an equally guitar-wise mastery and towering images of Evil. "Armaggeddon Finally Comes" soon becomes the worthy companion of "Hail Murder" but is, in this case, just an interlude to finally reach the eighth and last track: "Heart Of Ice". This is the fitting conclusion of "Diabolis Interium", it is the right description of the "feeling" projected by the whole album, the ice truly dominates within the hearts of these Swedes. It is precisely in this last ascent on ideal cold glaciers that the Dark Funeral masterpiece ends, putting an end to everything, transgressing into the nothingness beyond the glacier just conquered.

An album that I recommend to all the "true" black metal enthusiasts, to listen to once and to embrace the musical concepts for their true essence, not because the band is trendy or for anything else. Only thus will one be able to see who has a "heart of ice".