I always get a little worried when I know I have a straight up black metal album to review as I am one of the most pickiest fans there is. Having said that, Dark Funeral is back with their sixth full length, Where Shadows Forever Reign (Century Media), as they have a throne to reclaim. The Swedish black metal outfit once again proves that, generally speaking, all black metal outside of Norway is the best option for any fan who is sick of dealing with terms like “kvlt” and “tr00”. While the album is not anything experimental for the group, the tracks differ enough to keep you listening all the way through.

‘As I Ascend’ has to be on Dark Funeral’s live set list once they start touring this album. At just over six minutes (including some creepy church bell intro/outro samples), this track really digs into the roots of black metal by keeping it basic yet beautiful. No blast beat overload nor a continuous tremolo riff. Not saying those elements do not work, but this song reminds me of why I like this genre in the first place. ‘Temple of Ahriman’ builds off of my previous statements as well. While this track will have strong tremolo use in the guitar riffs over the chorus, it just feels right. Given the lyrics are about a temple that acts as a torture chamber of which Christian victims are slain, it adds to that “evil” sound. The final track on the album, ‘Where Shadows Forever Reign’, really wraps the record up perfectly that no other track on the album could have done. Thunderous bass drums lifting up some of the more memorable black metal guitar riffs make for quite an epic track that is sure to get your head banging. The last-minute or so of the track is more epic riffage sailing over blast beats as the volume fades out.

While I am not what I would consider all too familiar with Dark Funeral, Where Shadows Forever Reign was a great starting point for me. While I typically get turned off with overloads of blast beats in this genre, these guys know how to sprinkle it in just enough as to not overdo it. The band stated they had a throne to reclaim after the announcement of the album. While there are many battling for the same black metal throne, Dark Funeral has made quite a dent in the competition.

7.0/10

TIM LEDIN

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