DARK FUNERAL – Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus (re-issue)
- Posted on 03-12-2013
I dare say that most black metal listeners are somewhat aware of who Dark Funeral are and what they do. Century Media recently took it upon themselves to remaster and re-issue the first batch of Dark Funeral albums with added bonus songs, unseen photos/flyers, and other goodies. These re-issues are pretty cool and well-done overall, so hats off to the band and the label for doing it right as opposed to serving us some cheap-ass re-release with nothing new (or rare) on them whatsoever.
"Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus" originally came out in 2009, so it`s not old by any stretch of the imagination. The album contains the 9 songs that make up the actual release as well as 5 bonus live songs. The music is brutal, unrelenting, and technically speaking well-played. Most of the material is hyper-fast and blasting, but Dark Funeral do incorporate quite a few mid-paced parts and some of the songs are even somewhat slow compared to most other compositions by the band. The sound is pretty massive and hard-hitting, I`ll give them that. As to the actual songs, some of them are interesting while others are not, so it`s a bit of a mixed bag, and I consider "Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus" a somewhat uneven release. Songs such as "Stigmata" and "Demons of Five" do stand out, but there are simply too few highlights to be found on the album. A few songs are highly atmospheric while others simply seem devoid of any atmosphere, so I tend to lose interest when listening to certain songs.
The bonus live songs from a South American gig in 2006 are rather decent and I`m sure that any Dark Funeral fan will dig them, but for my part I have to say that "Angelus Exuro Pro Eternus" is too uneven and uneventful to make it an essential purchase even with those bonus songs included. But again; most fans and die-hards will probably be pleased with this re-issue. The choice is yours.