Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Dark Funeral
Title
Where Shadows Forever Reign
Type
LP/EP
Company
Century Media
YOR
2016
Style
Black
7/6/2016 - Review by: Greg Watson
Still rooted in the mid to late 90s era black metal
Scandinavian mainstays Dark Funeral return with their sixth full-length album "Where Shadows Forever Reign", marking the appearance of new singer Helljarmadr whose vocals inject fresh life into the band. That being said though, you can still tell that this is Lord Ahriman's show to run as it has been since the band's inception. "Where Shadows" is definitely a step up from 2009's "Angelus Exuro pro Eternus" and shows the band aging like a wine kept in a dank, dark cellar. Ahriman's riffing is some of his best yet, full of aggression and melody yet sometimes taking a backseat to Helljarmadr's vocals. "Temple of Ahriman", "Nail Them To the Cross" and "Where Shadows Forever Reign" are definitely the standout tracks on the album for me. The one gripe, if you can call it a gripe, that I have with this is that the band shows no sign of branching out their sound. While it has definitely changed, the base is still rooted in the mid to late 90s era black metal. No experimentation of any sort takes place and the constant similarity in albums causes some of their material to get a bit repetitive and tired at times. Lyrically, they are still as blasphemous as ever, showing no signs of scaling back the blatant affinity for Satan and disdain for organized religion. This is what has made the band, but I wonder if this lack of movement and change is something that will condemn the band to less notoriety than what they should have. While other bands from this era have shown a growth and a shift in sound, it is clear that Dark Funeral are sticking to their blackened, evil roots whether it takes them to new heights or leaves them in the middle of the pack treading water.
  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    3.5 :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: DARK FUNERAL
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Attera Totus Sanctus
2005
Regain
Etiam5/16/2006
3
De Profundis Clamavi ad te Domine
2005
Regain
Veritas7/25/2005
-
Diabolis Interium
2007
Regain
Etiam3/21/2008
3.5
Secrets of the Black Arts
2007
Regain
Etiam5/5/2009
3
Vobiscum Satanas
1998
Regain
Etiam9/19/2008
2.5
Where Shadows Forever Reign
2016
Century Media
Greg Watson7/6/2016
3.5

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: DARK FUNERAL
INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


<< back >>