The Spawns of Satan, Dark Funeral, arrived on the Swedish black metal scene with this, their 1994 EP titled In the Sign..., a monstrously evil and violent example of primal black metal. Devoid of very little melody, no keyboards, or atmosphere, this one sports 6 tracks of pure menace and aggression. All the elements of the genre are here-reverb soaked shrieking vocals, thunderous blast beats, and raging guitar work, all delivered with evil entent. Surprisingly, considering this was Dark Funeral's first release and obviously recorded with bare minimum of a budget, the sound of the album is not bad, with killer tracks like "Shadows over Transylvania" and "In the Sign of the Horns" really standing out as exceptional examples of just how quility black metal should sound. Looking through the CD booklet, you get to see many shots of the early incarnation of the band (they've changed line-ups numerous times over the years) in their corpse paint, spikes, and swords, looking either totally evil or ridiculous, depending on your take on the black metal "look". No matter what way you look at the band Dark Funeral, there's no doubt that since the release of this EP, the band has become one of the leaders of the genre. If you haven't yet sampled some of the blasphemous works of this band, and have a passing interest in black metal, check this one out and work your way up.
Track Listing
1. Open the Gates
2. Shadows over Transylvania
3. My Dark Desires
4. In the Sign of the Horns
5. Equimanthorn
6. Call from the Gave
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