Dark Funeral - Vobiscum Satanas CD

longside contemporaries Dissection and Marduk, DARK FUNERAL are among the most important Swedish black metal bands ever. In fact, when one merely mentions the phrase “Swedish black metal,” thoughts immediately turn to their name: since their formation in 1993, DARK FUNERAL quickly came to define the shocking sound of cryogenic melody and cruelly blasting fury. Though their six albums to date have been patiently parceled out over a considerable amount of time, their works endure to this day and have influenced countless bands over the past 20 years.

Originally released in the spring of 1998 on the pivotal No Fashion label, DARK FUNERAL’s second album, Vobiscum Satanas, consolidated the strengths of the band’s classic The Secrets of the Black Arts debut – shockingly fast execution, exceptionally memorable melody, and plenty of icy atmosphere to spare – and made the whole attack tighter and more concise. The production, too, once again courtesy of Peter Tägtren at Abyss Studios, became razor-sharp, highlighting these subtle developments. As such, many quite rightly consider Vobiscum Satanas the equal of The Secrets of the Black Arts. Either way, between this pair of albums did DARK FUNERAL establish themselves among THE top black metal bands of the late ‘90s.