Band:	Dark Funeral
Album:	Diabolis Interium
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	September 2001

01. The Arrival Of Satan's Empire
02. Hail Murder
03. Goddess Of Sodomy
04. Diabolis Interium
05. An Apprentice Of Satan
06. Thus I Have Spoken
07. Armageddon Finally Comes
08. Heart Of Ice
09. The Trial [King Diamond cover] [Japanese bonus]
10. Dead Skin Mask [Slayer cover] [Japanese bonus]
11. Remember The Fallen [Sodom cover] [Japanese bonus]
12. Pagan Fears [Mayhem cover] [Japanese bonus]

Even if you?ve never heard of Dark Funeral before, you need only take one look at the cover to get a good idea of what you're getting into with Diabolis Interium. What lurks beneath is sure to be pure EVIL! One look at the track listing only confirms this, with song titles like ?The Arrival of Satan's Empire,? ?An Apprentice of Satan? and such. And yep, the photos of band members have them decked out in corpse paint, and wearing odd, black leather outfits covered in spikes. This can only be one thing, real black metal, dark and cold.

And cold it IS! The chilling melodies from beat one made me shiver, and it's over 70oF in my room. Also of note is that it is FAST, as in I think that they may have reached escape velocity fast. The primary melodies, however, are not all that affected by this. They instead move along at their own pace, sometimes creeping, sometimes running. This is a testimony to level of songwriting Dark Funeral has obtained. They may not be the greatest, as at times their knowledge of arrangement and structure seems to wear a little thin. That is a problem just about all extreme bands suffer from, however, with the sole exception of the best of the best.

As I have already mentioned, this is real black metal for those of you unfamiliar with the band. You won's find and keyboards or symphonic sections here. If those are what you want, go find yourself a warm haven in the worlds of Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir. However, you will not be left wanting for atmosphere. It permeates every crevice of this album. The emotion remains high and tense throughout, yet I do not find it to be draining. This is at once a good and a bad thing. It allows you to listen for longer periods at a time, and enjoy the experience more. However, to be a true black metal masterpiece; a total emotional drain is almost necessary, thus knocking Diabolis Interium out of contention for the list of ?elite black metal albums.? It's place on the list of 'really, really good black metal albums,? however is secure.

Production wise, it is clean enough to allow most metalheads to enjoy it, though I?d have to think that it's still ?bad? enough to be considered acceptable by some of the more ?open-minded? black metal elitists. Although, since I'm in the U.S., and have never met a true, European, black metal purist, I can's be sure of that. Not that any of them give a damn about what I think anyways.

In the end, I may strongly disagree with the lyrical themes presented here, but there's no denying that musically, this is great stuff through and through. This album is absolutely perfect for sending all those Limp Bizkit fans running to their mammas.