Attempting to improve on 2014’s The Satanist (review here) was always going to be a near impossible task but with I Loved You At Your Darkest (review here), Polish blackened death metal act Behemoth very nearly succeeded. A robust and forward-thinking follow-up held in high regard by many, the only thing which appeared to hold it back for some was the enormous shadow cast by its predecessor.
Not exactly the most prolific of bands, Swedish black metal act Dark Funeral have been around for virtually three decades but their latest album We Are the Apocalypse (Century Media) is only their seventh full-length studio release in that time. With more former members than overall releases, it’s easy to see why there has been so much inconsistency over the years. The only remaining original member is guitarist Jan Michael Svanberg (aka Lord Ahriman).
What’s in a name? Well, when you’re a Black/Death Metal band from the highly religious country of Lebanon, whose original name of Chaotaeon could inadvertently be pronounced as “Shayatin” (which translates to “Devils”), then quite a lot, actually. Continue reading