Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus

Do you know what the hardest album a critic has to review is? An album that's generic, bland, and just plays it safe. At least with albums like St. Anger or Turbo, I did had a bit of enjoyment tearing those albums apart and explaining why they were horrible. With Dark Funeral's 2009 album "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus", however, this is the most bland, unoriginal, and safest album they've ever done. I'm not kidding. While there were some decent moments in the previous record, they're virtually non-existent here. This is going to be a tough one for me to do, but since this is part of my Dark Funeral Discography Retrospect Series, I'm gonna try anyway.

So let's start things off with the instruments. I've noticed a pattern with the albums where as they went on, they became less and less creative and unique. And by this point, it's become obvious that they've ran out of ideas. For the majority of the tracks, you hear some guitars playing some rough and aggressive riffs, but they pretty much sound like the riffs from the previous album, only with somehow even less originality. The drums also do some fast blastbeats, which at this point has become tiring. No matter how fast and crazy Dominator beats his drums, they just feel weak and fake with the drum program-like sound. And should I even bring up the bass? It's somehow even more sloppy than the previous album, and the foundation of the tracks are shaky. Finding any standout tracks on here is next to impossible, since they basically sound the same to me. I guess the first track "The End of Human Race" has some neat guitar riffs, and "Demons of Five" did have a slightly authentic emotion with its raging atmosphere, but that's about it. The instrumentals are at their worst, as they offer almost nothing new, and they don't bring in any authentic feelings to the atmosphere at all.

And then there's the vocals. I can't help but feel bad for Emperor Magus Caligula, because like the instrumentals, they've gotten worse with each new release. His vocals utilize some high-pitched shrieks. And that's all there is to them. No, seriously, Magus Caligula doesn't do anything special with his vocals, and his emotions don't feel real. When I hear him shriek about something, I don't feel like he has genuine anger towards something. I feel like he just felt like doing some shrieks for the sake of it. The only good vocals are those that don't do the typical black metal shriek, like in the beginning of "Stigmata", as the deep growls sound unique and had some genuine anger. But those different vocal styles only make up about 5% of the vocals on this album. For the rest of them, they are just typical black metal shrieks that offer nothing new to the table, and aren't fitting to these violent instrumentals.

Not even the lyrics are safe from being bland. To see what I mean, let's take a look at this verse from "The Birth of the Vampiir":

Moonlight rays awaken me
From my eternal sleep
I am not alive, but I still breathe
I ask myself, "how can this be"?

So it looks like the narrator is describing feeling different at night. This is a pretty decent setup, as it adds in suspense to what creature he turned into. But then we move on to this:

"Pulses quicken, piqued by the scent of blood"

Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!

That's when I realise, I've become one of them
Cursed to live in darkness, never see the light of day

The way the moment of the narrator finding out he's become a vampire is executed feels off, as the statement "Pulses quicken, piqued by the scent of blood" feels out of place. If you removed that statement in between the previous verse and "Noooo!", then it would've flowed a lot better. Furthermore, these lyrics also don't work well with the instruments and vocals. The generic instrumentals don't really add in anything with the lyrics, and Emperor Magus Caligula's don't really help make the story feel big and scary. Pretty much all of the lyrics on this album are poorly written and fail to bring in any scares, and they are only weakened even more with the instrumentals and vocals.

When I was revisiting the albums to get prepped up for this series, this one was easily the hardest I have to get through. Sure, the instrumentals, vocals, and lyrics are terrible, but they're not too terrible. After all, there were still a couple of good moments. But then again, I use "couple" in the strictest sense of the word, because this album plays it safe. There's nothing creative, unique, or even original here. It takes all of the bland moments from the previous albums, and combines them to make one inoffensive album. This is why I consider "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus" to be their worst album yet, and I bet the next album is going to be even worse. Right?

Dark Funeral, the reliable partner of their supporters and, together with Marduk, the flagship of Swedish black metal, released the here presented album in 2009. Does it show a band that is expanding its musical horizon? No. Do we have to notice a vapid stagnation? Again: no. Dark Funeral were competent enough to vary their style successfully without adding inappropriate elements. The ambassadors of violent yet sometimes relatively melodic and always comprehensible black metal swing the axe and storm over the barricades of the lost souls of the mainstream. That's not to say Dark Funeral set the focus on high speed while neglecting any other factors which can make an album great. "Stigmata", for example, is based on grim and furious leads and extreme velocity does not get the short end of the stick. Yet this is just one facet of this artwork. "Stigmata" belongs to these tunes that have their own intro and outro. Its ferocious main part is framed by mantra-esque incantations and this configuration lends the song a special appearance. Finally, I must stress that "Stigmata" is free of embarrassing elements. This statement does not go for "My Latex Queen" as well. I am not talking about its obscene and exciting title (indeed, very obscene and very exciting, at least for prudish spinsters). It is rather the case that lines like "Latex queen - feel my tongue in deep / Whirls around - climax is almost found" are simply true. The climax is only almost found and who the hell needs such a climax?

The density of the professional production is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it feeds the well arranged songs with the technical equipment that they need, on the other hand its opulence highlights the very viscous leads of rather slow-moving tracks such as "In My Dreams". Nevertheless, at the end of the day, this is another well produced record of the Swedes, neither high-polished nor extremely raw. Speaking of rawness, guess we all know that the sinister lads of Dark Funeral were never well known for their underground affinity. Perhaps this explains why the band has recorded "My Funeral", a catchy bastard which combines elements of black metal with dark pop components. To avoid misunderstandings, no pop fan will ever enjoy this piece. It is just a scion of "Goddess of Sodomy" and an ancestor of "Temple of Ahriman", a similar constructed piece of the current full-length.

Lead vocalist Emperor Magus Caligula - how about a slightly longer pseudonym? - celebrates his farewell performance on the here reviewed album. No doubt, insanely raging guitars like those of the opener or "The Birth of the Vampiir" give not much wiggle room for a highly diversified contribution of the self-titled emperor. The same applies for the restlessly hammering drums of the majority of the songs. Yet against all odds, he musters up his courage and makes his mark on the songs. His friends would probably describe this vocal performance with the words charismatic and powerful, people without good music taste might use terms like psychotic and unscrupulous. Honestly speaking, I see no reason to choose my side. As long as we speak about black metal, I like each and every of these attributes. On the other hand, I do not highly appreciate the excessive use of pseudo-intellectual Latin titles. Does Satan speak this language? Or did Lord Ahriman visit a humanistic high school? I have no clue, but fortunately, the title track wipes away my crude thoughts. Dark Funeral present another orgy of unleashed hatred and, as always, they do not forget to integrate the necessary amount of melodies.

Regardless of the personal taste of the listener, Dark Funeral have composed an album without major deficiencies and only those guys will disagree who feel the abnormal need to articulate a dissenting opinion at every opportunity. It is also true that "Angelus Thingamabob" does not reach the top position in the catalogue of the hellish ensemble. Nevertheless, those of you who want to close the gap in their Dark Funeral collection can buy this effort with a good feeling.

As everyone else will tell you, Dark Funeral isn't one to re-innovate the genre. Blast beats and fearsome speed return in full. Lord Ahriman makes each song hymnal and cathedral-like at its core, which enhances its entrancing nature. However, there's a distinct orchestral edge that was brought to Angelus Exuro pro Eternus that makes it distinct in Dark Funeral's discography.

We start off with business as usual - "The End of Human Race" gives you one breath before slamming your ears with a punishing drum beat accompanied by a riff that almost singes with heat. Dark Funeral is always rich with texture, and so the song swiftly breaks down the pace while maintaining their narrative of a Satanic apocalypse. It hints at what is to come after "Birth of the Vampiir," which more or less has the same feeling (albeit with a less serious lyrical theme). About halfway through "Stigmata," which begins with a marching chant of the song's title, we begin to see a softer side to the band's style. There's something distinctly sorrowful in that and the self-affirmed suicide of "My Funeral."

The album even features love songs - unheard of in black metal, but pulled of stylishly and appropriately, nonetheless. "In My Dreams" is a wicked-memorable track that depicts a lost love (or slave... something). Some may tease the sexual lyrics of that and "My Latex Queen," but I feel that they gave poetic euphemisms to better fit in the genre, the former song in particular. These riffs have a comfortable feeling that surprisingly doesn't seem abrupt or inappropriate at all.

The album also has some more progressive sounds in drumbeat and overall tone. "Declaration of Hate" has a bizarre intro, but it moves back into the Dark Funeral mold, soon enough. "Demons of Five" has the kind of lead break that is a little jarring to hear, as a fan of the band, and while these tracks are competent on their own, they are certainly the least memorable. Kudos to the band for experimenting a bit, though.

The title track is almost reminiscent of The Secrets of the Black Arts in its composition and pacing, and it's nice to hear old-school Dark Funeral at the middle point of a song list that includes some slight departures for the hardened black metaller.

Overall, the album shows great strength for blending apocalyptic and sorrowful themes (which are your typical two in black metal) with the personal and almost romantic. ("Of all the glistening stars - you shine brightest of them all"?) It's not Dark Funeral's best, but it's definitely up there, and a very comforting follow-up to its disappointing predecessor. That said, I do hope that their next release feels a little... colder.

Strongest tracks: "The End of Human Race," "In My Dreams," "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus"
Weakest tracks: "Birth of the Vampiir," "Stigmata" (first half), "Demons of Five"

As a result of my feelings toward this album, I add the third category.
Most unique/progressive: "Stigmata" (second half), "My Funeral," "In My Dreams," "My Latex Queen" (only lyrically)

Dark Funeral are nothing if not stylistically unprolific. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if you can do your craft and do it well…the Iron Maidens, the AC/DCs and the Manowars of our time thrive on such unprolificacity and are still able to garner huge, appreciative audiences for years on end. And to that degree the Funeral boys seem quite at ease with the meat and potatoes take on black metal that’s been the group’s bread and butter since their inception into the metal world. And while this has given us some very tasty albums save for only a couple blunders along the way ("Attera Totus Sanctus" being the biggest example), Dark Funeral continue to tread the blackened path seemingly without a care in the world. And so we have this new album, after a five year hiatus, which begs the question…do they still have what it takes to survive given their seeming slowness in evolution?

They sure do.

This album showcases that good things truly do come for those who wait, especially if one was to find out if improvements could be made after the last batch of songs…not that it would’ve been hard. "Attera…" was decent upon first glance, but obviously showed the stylistic stagnation of a seemingly weary band. The riffing, performance, and DEFINITELY the vocal work became more weak-kneed and uninteresting as time progressed, giving the metal world some of DF’s worst material. Thankfully, all the time that progressed between both albums was necessary to recharge the batteries and deliver some of the band’s best and more infectious material since the heydays of "Secrets of the Black Arts" through "Diabolus Interium". The bitter hatred and violent anger that was in short supply in "Attera…" is back, stronger and more fiery than ever, both in the songwriting and performance. The blistering guitar duo of Ahriman and Choq Mol unleash torrents of malevolent riff work and soul-crushing leads with the reckless abandon necessary for black metal’s anti-everything mind-frame to work properly, both the high-speed sections and the slower, more frightening drawls. This is augmented for the better by the tireless rhythm section, both the gatling-gun style percussive work of newcomer Dominator (whose speed and intensity knows no bounds) and the undercooked-but still noticeable bass stylings of B-Force (good to see the guy getting such a fun day job). And Mr. Caligula’s vocal work sounds much better than the leper-on-his-last-legs moans heard on the previous outing, where sinister shrieks and impure growls give life into an increasingly weaker lyrical content (serious, Magus…you REALLY need to get a new muse. It’s unbecoming to continually repeat yourself album after album, yes?). The end result is a refreshed-sounding band delivering some of their best material in recent years, as shown on the chaotic masterworks of tracks like "The End of Human Race" and "Stigmata" and the more funereal dirges of "My Funeral" and "Demons of Five".

In the end "Angelus Exero Pro Eternus" was a very satisfying listen, hearkening back to when black metal was the penultimate soundtrack to the apocalypse, and definitely back to when Dark Funeral was able to prove itself as a king amongst corpse-painted beggars. Hail and kill.

This album is basically "Attera Totus Sanctus 2.0", an advanced version.It has a better sound quality, a better drummer with more skill and experience, and EMC (Emperor Magus Caligula) has perfected his vocals to the extreme! The guitars have remained the same since "Diabolis Interium", Ahriman and Chaq Mol aren't willing to drop the flutter technique just yet. This album is, without a doubt, Dark Funeral's best album.

On their previous album, content was lacking in many ways: the lyrical themes were always about anti-christianity (which is getting VERY old in the world of black metal). There was too much "I hate god" rather than something more unique, Dark Funeral didn't know how to pull the old black metal routine off. If it's not about anti-religion, then it's about "kinky black metal sex", EMC couldn't settle his raging boner for his erotic song "Atrum Regina" and felt like he had to share his sexual fantasies with everybody. The instrumentals of that song were good, but the lyrical content was just plain gross, it's black metal, not an erotic novel. "Attera" wasn't bad, but it wasn't their best.

Anyways, this album took a step up as well as the band. If Dark Funeral wanted to be (and I quote) "the ineffable kings of Swedish black metal" then they had to earn it. They aren't necessarily "kings" but they've earned a similar higher status with this album. This album is purely catastrophic, amazing blast beats from Aeon's former drummer Nils Fjellstrom (a.k.a. Dominator) and the lyrical themes have also changed!

For once, the lyrics aren't always about Satanism on EMC's part, infact songs like "The End of Human Race" is based on catastrophe and the abolishment of humans, or "The Birth of the Vampiir" is based on vampires and how one is created. Sure, there are some songs like "Declaration of Hate" which is about anit-religion, EMC couldn't resist, but look on the bright side, the band has gone a long way, and I have seen lots of improvement. EMC's vocals have changed a lot, there are lots of high growls and low growls and anything else in between, he can actually layer his vocals now like a boss unlike last time where he really fucked it up.

If you ever see this album, buy it! It's totally worth it and the best part is when you let it play in your stereo for the first time, why? It feels like the true Dark Funeral we've always wanted them to be has finally been unleashed from the pits of hell and takes its first steps on earth. Dramatic? Maybe, but believe this, you won't regret the purchase.

Anyone familiar with Dark Funeral more or less knows what to expect here. Aggression-driven black metal with blazing tremolo riffing over mostly blast beats with Emperor Magus Caligula’s black metal screeches piercing your ears. Using their tried and true formula, they now present to the black metal community their latest opus, the Latin-titled (as is the norm for Dark Funeral) Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus, And it does not disappoint.

The first thing you’re greeted with is exceptionally cool cover art, which continues Dark Funeral’s tradition of using H.R. Giger-styled paintings of demonic entities as cover artwork. I might add that in my opinion this is their best artwork in that style to date. The album itself opens up with the track “The End of the Human Race,” which hits the ground running with an immediate wall of blast beats and tremolo picking. Just about every song on the album is at that hyperblast pace, although some of them have transitional mid-tempo sections. The two notable exceptions to this are the songs “My Funeral” and “In My Dreams,” which are incidentally my favorite two songs off the album. On their previous album, “Attera Totus Sanctus,” I also found my favorite to be the single mid-tempo song “Atrum Regina,” leading me to believe that newer Dark Funeral has a strong knack for creating mind-blowing epic mid-tempo songs, even though these are not the main staple of any of their work. Many people have complained that Dark Funeral has become boring to them by not drastically changing their musical formula too much from any one release to another. I don’t disagree with that, but it doesn’t particularly bother me, as their formula is a good one, and it’s always enjoyable if you’re in the right mood for it.

The most well-known track on the album is easily “My Funeral,” the video for which debuted a short time before the album was released. If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it. It is an excellent video, but I must advise that you only watch the uncensored Youtube version for full gore. It probably has the best suicide scene I’ve ever seen in a music video, which led to the video being removed from Myspace within hours of it being uploaded (much to the band’s dismay; many ranting bulletins from Dark Funeral’s myspace were issued following this). The song itself puts on full display the real reason why most people listen to Dark Funeral in the first place: to listen to guitarist Lord Ahriman play his tremolo-picked melodic riffing. This is arguably the best part of Dark Funeral, best described as spine-chillingly epic and unapologetically evil. The track “In My Dreams” shows this perhaps even better.

I cannot say enough about the brilliance of Lord Ahriman’s riffs; it truly brings the magic to Dark Funeral’s sound. His guitar tone is also incredible. It has a nice screechy high-treble sound, boosted by EMG pickups, making his tone the envy of many a black metal guitarist. The bass is for the most part inaudible and as far as I can hear, I don’t believe it ever really meanders too far away from the root notes, although that’s often typical in extreme metal as a whole. Emperor Magus Caligula’s vocals are as well-done as ever: nasty hate-filled throaty rasps with good placement and delivery. Lyrically, “Exuro Angelus Pro Eternus” doesn’t stray too far their last release, exploring the generic “Satanic/anti-Christian/darkness” themes, as well as interestingly enough suicide and sex (with the songs “My Funeral” and “My Latex Queen” respectively).

Interestingly enough, the only line-up change Dark Funeral has gone through between this release and their last is the addition of a new drummer who goes by the stage name Dominator. His real name, Nils Fjellström, is what he goes by in his other major band, brutal anti-Christian death metal quintet Aeon (which is very above-par brutal death metal if I do say so myself). His drumming style fits in well with Dark Funeral, never being flashy so to speak as if to steal the spotlight, but never monotonous or boring. He utilizes some cool start-stop maneuvers as well, where he abruptly stops hitting and silences his crash cymbals, pauses for a brief second, and then dives back into a polyrhythm. This is actually visible if you look for it in the video for “My Funeral.” His speed is also extremely impressive. Skip to about the two-minute mark on the track “Stigmata,” and listen to the double-bass to see what I’m talking about. To me the bass drums sound very triggered, but with that kind of drumming I think drum triggers are quite necessary. Otherwise he’d probably destroy his legs and ankles and render himself unable to drum ever again after only a handful of shows. And even with triggers, it’s still fucking fast.

Production is clean and crisp but not overly polished or Dimmu Borgir-esque in any way. Not the most kvlt thing but I have no qualms with well-produced black metal at all. In fact sometimes I feel like too many bands are trying to be “Transilvanian Hunger”-era Darkthrone.

Overall, I give “Exuro Angelus Pro Eternus” an 80. There’s nothing truly new or innovative here, but there’s also nothing bad. It’s a grade A slab of Dark Funeral that any fan of black metal should at least download if not buy. To be frank, it’s about what you’d expect from them, but that isn’t so much an insult as much as it’s calling them consistent. With a few notable exceptions, I also refuse to give 100 to any band without audible bass (even vaguely audible, not even necessarily clear), just because I’m a bassist myself and we bass players get touchy about such things. All of the songs on the album are good, but some of them, especially the hyperblast songs, tend to blend together until you have multiple listens under your belt. The mid-tempo songs are brilliant however, which is ironic because they are not what Dark Funeral is usually known for. Buy it or download it, but if nothing else at least watch that music video.

Standout Tracks: In My Dreams, My Funeral, Demons of Five.

Originally written for Black Death Quarterly at http://www.blackdeathquarterly.blogspot.com

It’s been four years since Dark Funeral released Attera Totus Sanctus, which in my opinion was nothing more than a mediocre release. I was really excited to hear this, since they have also replaced their drummer, Matte Modin, with Dominator.

When the song “The End Of Human Race” kicked in, I was kind of sceptic on how this album would turn out to be. It is a typical Dark Funeral song with lots of blast beats, yet they're still not overused, and Dominator’s drum work manages to surprise me quite a lot. The guitar melodies used in this song are very good, and they seem to manage it throughout the whole album. Looking at the album songwriting wise, it seems to be much more varied than their other material, as they usually write fast and straight-forward stuff. This album however, features more tempo changes which help creating better dynamics. Some songs are mid-tempo all the way through which is usually not their style, but they manage to create an awesome atmosphere with it. Examples for mid tempo songs are “My Funeral” and “In My Dreams”.

Even though their old drummer Matte Modin is an amazing drummer; it doesn’t change the fact that Dominator is just as good, varying his drumming with precise blast beats, double bass patterns and great fills. My only concerns about the drums are these two things: The cymbals are very low and it’s hard to hear them at times and the drumming on some songs are a little too simple. Emperor Magus Caligula is an amazing vocalist; he seems to be able to hit all tones, from low bass to high pitched vocals. I’m not ashamed to say he’s one of my favourite black metal vocalists.

All in all, Angelus Exuro pro Eternus is their best albums yet. It shows their most creative side of songwriting making their songs more memorable than ever before. You can definitely hear Matte Modin is not here anymore, but I don't mind. Give this album at least one listen, you'll be surprised if you've heard Dark Funeral's other material.

Highlights: I usually wouldn’t put it like this; but do yourself a favour and check out the whole album.

If there is one thing to be said for Dark Funeral, you know what to expect when going in, and you generally get what you paid for. You're not going in for innovation, and you're not going to remain in God's good graces; you are here to get your ass kicked by a blast of diabolic Swedish black metal, an all expense paid trip to inferno with Masse Bromberg (aka Emperor Magus Caligula) as your tour guide. Since last paying their respects to Lucifer with Attera Totus Sanctus in 2005, the band has undergone a change in the drum position, the double bass blasting dynamo Matte Modin having moved on to whatever onslaught sees his mercenary skill in demand. His replacement here is Nils Fjellström, know here as Dominator, who has also performed with a myriad of Swedish acts like Aeon, Chastisement, and In Battle, to list but a few. The man has large shoes...or should I say pedals, to fill, and he does so, if a little more reserved than some of Modin's drumming on prior works.

The only reason I mention the drumming in such important light, is because Dark Funeral lives and dies on its blasting hostility. Many peer bands have moved on towards varied pastures, but this band enters the studio each time, hellbent on blowing your eardrums out with walls of obscene battering. Sure, there are Lord Ahriman's sinister guitar spewings, made stereo through Bo Karlsson, and the quality of these is in line with a Diabolus Interium, but it's the hammering thunder of the rhythm section that fuels Caligula's hellish wrath. And Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus is sure to let you have it, slamming straight through two bestial warfields, "The End of the Human Race" signifying "The Birth of the Vampiir" and then all fucking hell breaking loose. For a few brief sections, "Stigmata" allows you to relax beneath a war drumming, vile guitars and a deeper Satanic narrative vocal tone, but it cannot last...and DOES NOT last. The blast. The blast.

So it falls upon "My Funeral" to provide an eye to this storm, which it does with a slower, albeit, rolling ballistic presence below darkly glinting atmospheric textures that are created largely through the guitar riffs. The title track follows, and it is right back to Blasting Demolition Team 666. Few ankles could dare rough this territory, but Dominator is probably not human to begin with, simply a black metal torture machine given flesh. I'd like to take the safe way out and say that all this blasting becomes 'tiring', but as it is not my first exposure to Dark Funeral, I would not have it any other way. "Demons of Five" opens with a nice descending guitar line, some molten work on the toms, and a very thick, rolling gait begins to amass, a legion of winged abominations whose names cannot be spoken making a desperate strike against the gates of Heaven.

Charrrrrrrrrrrrrrrge!

This is followed by the tumultous and bruising "Declaration of Hate", wherein Caligula gets all disgusting, like some succubus has snaked her whip across his throat and squeezed even more vulgarity from his poor chords. I would hate to be this fiend's tonsils. "In My Dreams" is another of the slower, atmospheric pieces with the huge guitars that spawn cathedrals of hatred against the emptiness. "My Latex Queen" is last but not least, a seductive symphony of superblasted fury at which the Emperor is the only qualified conductor.

To be blunt, there are not many tracks here that caught my attention for anything further than an energetic fuckfest from somewhere South of paradise. A few of the tracks, like "The End of Human Race" and "Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus" provide a few catchy lines, but the rest is just a flying guillotine of torment and the same, thick, driving textures the band has been producing since Vobiscum Satanas. Truly, not a lot has changed since that period, but that fact only stings if you actually want it to. Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus sounds immense, as Dark Funeral make great use of their status and funding to get as professional as a band in this genre ever can. I can't laud the band for its musical invention or for surpassing some of their prior pieces, but if you're a devout Funeral attendee I don't think you'll be highly disappointed with this latest anti-hymnal. The question is, when do we get another Sportlov album?

Highlights: scaring my neighbors with this album

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Seems like the Swedish band Dark Funeral took a longer pause after their Attera Totus Sanctus output and also some line-up changes took place. The seat behind the drum-kit is now filled with Dominator (Nils Fjellström). It is 2009 and they are back with a new album and the question would be of course: how did they compensate the loss of Matte Modin and did they use the time wisely?

Well, this band was always rather on the safe side of the black metal shore and did not try to experiment too much. It should not surprise much, when they went back to their early days with Angelus Exuro pro Eternus and added some additional facets and influences, rather than progressing with it on a new level; there are again ballad-like compositions, but they can be found near the end at least and do not ruin the atmosphere like on the preceding album; see/hear Atrum Regina. The music is fast and aggressive with a lot … really masses of blasts – has there been a discount of these somewhere? – and hardly anything else can be found here. Even though the guitars play some neat riffs now and then, the overall performance is a bit wanting though, their impact is on a lower level due to the dominance of the vocals and the drums. Also, as the song-writing shows rather glimpses of the early days of the band, ie. fast and straight-forward stuff, they play a good deal of endless riff-motives, which create a dense wall in the background, but this has also been done to death. In terms of Emperor Magus Caligula's performance not much really changed. Still the same way of screaming/singing can be found, even though the distortion used in one composition might be seen as a welcome variation. Yet, this is rather negligible.

Really, there are not many examples where I have been annoyed on a similar level by the drums – played by a real drummer –, like on this album. He seems to have no talent at all... His performance can be narrowed down to very fast blasts, some slower ones and fills. Compared to the really nice stuff by Matte Modin on the previous albums, Dominator (Nils Fjellström) just sucks. Worst of all, the drums are unbalanced: the snares/bass are too powerful, while the cymbals have a bad sound are at times too far in the back. The result: a monotonous and texture-like sound over the course of nearly the entire album. For a band who had their fifteenth anniversary not very long ago and are signed to a large label, more can be expected. Speaking of the production, the typical Blind Guardian phenomenon can be brought up here: the riffs were simply drowned by the layers. There is this voluminous sound, but it merely promotes the vocals and in parts the percussions/guitars, but it is unable to create some sort of fascination. Aside from the constant wall of sound nothing remarkable can be said of it. Yes, it is professionally done … so what?

Emperor Magus Caligula, judging from your latest attempt of corpse-paint, you finally had a chance (or money?) to see the musical Cats. Good for you, but please do not try to copy their style in a black/white fashion. It looks fucking ridiculous. Luckily your vocals cannot always understood well … the lyrics are again hilarious at times.

Final bits and bytes
Uuuuuhh... this is really awful stuff. Four years have passed since the mediocre Attera Totus Sanctus and the band is unable to come up with something better than this piece of crap? Normally – and in case it is a larger band – the reviewer might want to give an outlook on the band's future and where he/she wants to see them progress towards. Yet, in case of the Swedish one this would be confusing, as they seem to stuck in a stalemate, without any hope to get out; the loss of their drummer can be felt throughout the entire album. Dark Funeral wanted it the easy way and they therefore did not move one inch away from their style; remember: why should an established brand be ruined? In fact, they went back to their early days and offer with Angelus Exuro pro Eternus nothing but a clone of these. No progression, nothing new, nothing outstanding... no wonder that the albums sucks. They circle above the rotten corpse of their early success with the hope of finding some meat still. They fail to realize that it might be appropriate to move on and to broaden their terrain.

A final comment:
Non quia difficilia sunt non audemus, sed quia non audemus difficilia sunt.