Review Summary: Predictable, boring, generic... 'Nuff said...
Black Metal has always been famous for incorporating certain elements into the music, such as ridiculously fast drumming, and beautifully melodic vocals. Unfortunately though, it seems that some bands have nothing better to do than to write their music intentionally poor in every aspect, just to gain attention in the underground scene. Despite the success of Dark Funeral, a band that is respected by most people, it's now clear that they've run out of ideas.
Attera Totus Sactus is one of those albums that should never, ever be shown to a friend or a relative who knows nothing about black metal, or the metal scene in general. Why not? It's easy to explain: you would look insane to anyone else who heard this, knowing nothing about Black Metal, because it would be impossible to explain why this album might be enjoyed, without hammering your skull against the wall, screaming "They are not
actually singing these sh-t lyrics, are they?!" Bands like Darkthrone have always been famous due to their lyrical masterpieces, but the concept behind this album is clearly an attempt to create fast and aggressive music, hence dropping their status to that of a joke band, a band that don't take themselves seriously.
If you are familiar with Black Metal, and you know how to deal with looking for meaning behind these lyrics, then, by all means, go ahead. Leave a comment when you've deciphered please. I'd like to see Dark Funeral explain why such poor lyrics have been used, which don't support the other aspects of the music at all. One track,
Godhate, sees all the flaws of the album in one place, resulting in a complete failure of the whole song. If this was the only track where this happened, we would overlook it, due to the other awesome songs... But no, at least half the songs fail in this way, and some end up sounding similar to everything else that's been done before.
Beside the crap lyrics, and half the tracks, the music really is a spectacular piece of Black Metal, though some may say it's too modern and sounds too clean. Sure, the production does help in its way to give the tracks the last piece of energy they need to be fully enjoyable, despite the lyrics and vocals. The drumming of Matte Modin has a huge impact on the sound and tempo of the tracks. His beats revive hope and lift some tracks beyond the level of average Black Metal bands using double-bass drumming. Like in other albums, he makes the difference and it is his style which keeps the songs on a high level. Not very surprisingly the guitars have used the momentum from the drum to support their play. Both parts are closely linked and it works fine on this record.
The tracks seem predictable, as Dark Funeral is famous for fast Black Metal.
Atrum Regina, though, is an exception, with its midtempo rhythms, which is a contrast to the rest of the album. It is, sad but true. This song is so badly written that it is hardly tolerable, not speaking of endurable. Some may call this evolution, whilst others may call it 'sh-t', but, it does show what the band is capable of and what is too demanding for them. Writing good songs beyond the spectrum of extreme Black Metal is enemy territory for them. Don't get me wrong, there is
far worse Black Metal out there, (check out Bathroy's
Octagon), yet Dark Funeral seems a complete ordeal to listen to from start to finish, with their *strange* lyrics. Although the music is good, it has far too many flaws.
