DARK FUNERAL

Recorded at Fållan in Stockholm in what now seems like eons ago, April 16, 2022, DARK FUNERAL's new "Beast Of Praise" live album effectively puts a bow on the cycle for that same year's "We Are The Apocalypse" studio opus. The long-running Swedish black metal outfit has, by and large, long shown a willingness to tour in places their peers won't dare to tread. This pursuit has turned the Swedes into a formidable live act, as shown across the 13 cuts that comprise "A Beast To Praise", the band's first live foray since 2004's "De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine".

The DARK FUNERAL song repertoire generally finds itself oscillating between fast and faster, with dynamics making their way via founding member and guitarist Lord Ahriman's trademark chord sequences and tremolo assaults. The band is not prone to grand gestures and symphonic sprawls; it's really down to the blinding extremity, which, by all accounts, is where the band has preferred to operate over the last 30 years. Therefore, it's with little surprise that opener "Unchain My Soul" followed by "The Arrival Of Satan's Empire" are strategically placed to set the tone for the set, since both are a miasma of blast beats and punctuating speed picking.

More recent DARK FUNERAL fare such as "Let The Devil In" and "We Are The Apocalypse" bring out the necessary tempo variance. "Let The Devil In", which is the sort of haunting, immediate number that the band doesn't pursue enough, holds particular interest because of Heljarmadr's biting, decipherable delivery. (At 12 years running in the band, he's probably the best vocalist they've had. He also introduces some of the songs in Swedish, his native tongue, all the more evil!) Mid-set, some of the steam starts to run out of the band, although "Beast Of Praise" closes appropriately with "The Secrets Of The Black Arts", culled from the band's 1996 debut album of the same name and "Where Shadows Forever Reign", also the title track of their 2016 LP. Both are reminders of DARK FUNERAL's ability to write blinding maelstroms that are both memorable and triumphant.

Live albums today, of course, are give and take, particularly black metal offerings. (The number of classic black metal live albums remains next to zero.) Either way, "A Beast To Praise" shows that it's no accident that DARK FUNERAL has become a devastating live unit. All the more reason to prepare for their next studio opus, which should see the fires of Hell in 2027.