Search - Dark Funeral :: Diabolis Interium

Just try and catch your beath.

D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 01/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The music here echoes from the early days of Emperor (sans keyboards) and oftentimes fine Immortal tendencies. Okay, so this is not a "groundbreaking" album crashing through the proverbial threshold of past excursions through the grim lands of Black Metal, but they emulate their peers admirably. The attack is brutal and straightforward for the most part, but after listening to the CD a few more times the "wall of sound" begins to bear fruit with some excellent guitar work and a lead vocal performance that never loses its intensity. The production on this disc is solid, as well, the most evident studio tricks used to enhance the vocalizations into a state of menacing provocation. The occasional sound effect adds just the right amount of flavor to these already dark proceedings. Not every song here is simply a blast of Black Metal rage. There are variations in tempo, the most effective track being "Goddess of Sodomy" (sick title), but the fury peaks again with the title song, "Diabolis Interium," which demands immediate submission or death! Outstanding sequencing! While I won't call this album a masterpiece it is nonetheless a brutal excursion into the realms of classic Black Metal without the symphonic bombast or progressive tendencies of other bands who hail from the genre. This album is uncompromising, in-your-face, spitting blood, corpse-painted Black Metal. A wicked album cover never hurts either. Later."

Some of the best DF songs is on this album

J H. Morris | Naples, Fl United States | 12/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"hail murder is one of my favorites. they are lyrical geniuses. a must buy for any black metal fan. a must buy for any one who is a satanist or atheist. awsome anti-christian lyrics"

Prefect blend of melody and fury

Joseph Fletcher | North Carolina, USA | 01/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion, this is the quintessential Swedish black metal sound: a strong sense of modality and a heavy reliance on harmonic minor scales played at furious speeds. There is no album that better exemplifies this technique than Diabolis Interium, with the possible exception of Pariah by Naglfar. This album, without exaggeration, is a landmark for this genre. But Dark Funeral breaks no new ground with this release. The drumming is solid but standard, and this approach to black metal has been done a million times before. What sets this album apart from most of the others is that the songwriting is excellent. Forgive the pop reference, but the reason the Beatles were better than everybody else was not because they were better musicians or that they played music that was completely new, but that their songs were better. Oftentimes, inventiveness is only a substitute for genius.



The Arrival Of Satan's Empire, the album's opener, is by far the album's standout track, charging head first into the album with two crushing riffs and cord sequences. These riffs are probably the best on the CD, except for the cord sequence to the chorus of Goddess Of Sodomy. That track is a nice surprise with its mid-paced rhythms and reliance on structure to get its point across - this song forces you to absorb it. An Apprentice Of Satan is a fairly rewarding listen as well, though it takes some time to build.



The only real negative about this album is that the best songs are at the beginning, making the last half of the album a little boring in comparison. This is a pretty good problem to have, actually. All the songs are solid; it's just that the first couple songs are extraordinary. Depending on your black metal bent, you may not like the fact the production is very clean. This doesn't bother me in the slightest. Honestly, I think it's a good thing. There are a number of instances when in order to truly appreciate the music, you have to be able to make out everything that's going on musically, and necro doesn't lend itself to clarity.



To me, Diabolis Interium stands next to Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk, Sons Of Northern Darkness, Nemesis Divina, and Armada as one of the best black metal albums ever."