For those Generation Z kids out there, Dark Funeral is an old-school black metal band hailing from Stockholm Sweden. I first got into this band way back in 2009 with their album Angelus Exuro pro Eternus. Most hardcore elitists out there would verbally crucify me upside down for this blasphemy, but I honestly enjoy newer Dark Funeral albums more. I like my black metal to be clean and well mixed in a professional studio, instead of on a static-y tape recorder. You old farts can keep your raw The Secrets Of The Black Arts, and I’ll continue enjoying the previous 2016 album Where Shadows Forever Reign.
The first song on this album opens with the supersonic blast beats from the band’s new drummer Jalomaah in the song “Nightfall”. It’s a solid opening track for a fantastic black metal record. Next we have the first single released for the album, which is a catchy song called “Let The Devil In.” The beginning sets us up with a slow drum roll followed by a screeching guitar riff and Heljarmadr’s raspy vocals. (I’m going to go ahead and apologize once more if I screw up pronouncing any of their names.) What I like best about this song is it’s easy to hear every spoken word in this track. After enough listens, you won’t even have to read the lyrics to perform a vocal cover.
“When Our Vengeance Is Done” starts off with a strong and unholy scream. The song may not have a lot of other outstanding moments, but it’s a fine tune nonetheless.
Fans of classic horror movies rejoice – track 4 is named after the 1922 German silent film “Nosferatu.” I swear if Hollywood director Robert Eggers doesn’t keep this song in mind for the ending credits of his remakes this year it would literally be a missed opportunity of the century.
Now we come to my favorite song on the album titled “When I’m Gone.” I can best describe this track as a black metal ballad. Even if you are a firm non-believer in ghosts, the lyrics are enough to give me chills. It’ll make everyone question the possibility of the supernatural. It is eerie to say the least, because the song is about dying but your soul is left behind to haunt the living with your sinister presence. It’s also the longest song on the album clocking in at 5 min 45 sec. You’ll be delighted to know that all songs exceed the four minute mark, so with nine songs and a total run time of 43 min 44 sec it’s worth your money. This band might be pure evil, but at the same time its easy to get lost in the songs as the album goes on.
While I was half way through writing this review, I watched someone else review this album on YouTube. Specifically, it was Blane Smith from Overkill Reviews on BangerTV. He stated that many of the songs sounded exactly the same, which leads me to believe that he only must have listened to this album once or twice. I, however, have had this album on repeat all day, meaning I’ll listened to the entirely of it at least five times in a row. Now, I will admit that the next two songs – “Beyond The Grave” and “A Beast To Praise” – could be forgettable; but when you start picking out certain lyrics you can begin to tell the songs apart.
“Leviathon” may be another cliché name for a black metal track, but it’s still capable of growing on you after a few listens. This is also the third single put out by this band before the release date. The conclusion of this record ends with the album title track “We Are The Apocalypse.” It’s another decent song, but the words ‘We Are The Apocalypse’ do get slightly repetitious – but not enough to drive you crazy.
All things considered, I’m going to give Dark Funeral’s “We Are The Apocalypse” a nice 8.5 out of 10. You can find Dark Funeral’s music through Century Media Records; their main merchandise website for American shoppers is through kingsroadmerch.com. Make sure you continue to support the metal scene, especially the Swedish. After all, Lord Ahriman has his very own new bars of soap to sell you.