Like music about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll? Well, it's probably easily apparent upon glancing at the cover of Dark Funeral's Attera Totus Sanctus that your not going to get that here. The Swedish black metal juggernaut's 2005 release is a smoldering and evil display of all that the genre is about. Featuring the demonic wailings of vocalist Emperor Magus Caligula, the ravenous guitar mayhem from Lord Ahriman & Chaq Mol, and the insane rhythm battery of drummer Matte Modin and guest bassist Gustaf Bielm, be prepared to get knocked on your ass. This is unrelenting and uncomprimising black metal, with the rather simplistic yet ultimately symphonic sounding guitar riffs (the band does not use keyboards) ringing non-stop like a buzz-saw over pummeling blast beats and shrieking vocals. Dark Funeral, much like fellow Swedes Marduk, ususally aren't about experimentation or atmosphere, instead given to assaulting the listener with menacing ferocity. Tracks like "Godhate", "Angel Flesh Impaled", and the title track just drip with pure evilness, Caligula's vocals sounding strained and rabid amidst plenty of exploding musical firepower. You have to love the way the guitars in Dark Funeral have that melodic, ringing effect, as their use or tremelo picking takes the place of keyboards, giving the music a rather odd symphonic flair without using any instruments that would normally do just that. Surprisingly, there's a fair amount of groove to "Atrum Regina", thanks to Modin's clever stick work, but you can forget about that on "Feed On The Mortals", a relentless barrage of brutal black metal, driven to perverse levels by Caligula's inhuman screams.
Attera Totus Sanctus, and most of the Dark Funeral catalog, won't be for everyone. These guys don't employ the progressive edge that bands like Dimmu Borgir, Old Man's Child, Chthonic, Cradle of Filth, Emperor, or Borknagar do, instead opting for a more relentless and Satanic pummeling of your senses much like acts like Marduk, 1349, early Mayhem, Throne of Katarsis, and Immortal are prone to. If you dig the more brutal aspects of the black metal genre, along with some corpse paint, leather, studs, and spikes, give Attera Totus Sanctus a try.
Track Listing
1. King Antichrist
2. 666 Voices Inside
3. Attera Totus Sanctus
4. Godhate
5. Atrum Regina
6. Angel Flesh Impaled
7. Feed On The Mortals
8. Final Ritual
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