Originally written by Erik Thomas.
Synopsis:
Things I learned from watching Dark Funeral’s first ever DVD, Attera Orbis Terrarum (Part I):
1) ¾ of Dark Funeral need an ab-roller or to at least do some sit ups.
2) Red and blue are the only stage light color allowed.
3) One Dark Funeral show is much the same as another Dark Funeral show.
4) There isn’t much between song banter or humor in black metal.
5) Black metal shows absolutely must start with a creepy atmospheric intro.
6) Dark Funeral like leather.
7) Dark Funeral are pretty fucking tight and sound great live, even for black metal.
Review:
Though the prospect of wading through nearly four hours of live Dark Funeral covering three separate shows from 2005-2006 wasn’t a greatly endearing prospect, my curiosity got the better of me, especially considering how impressed I was with 2005’s Attera Totus Sanctus.
The three professionally recorded shows are the bulk of this two-disc DVD. The first from a show from Poland in 2005 (12 songs), the second is from Tillburg, The Netherlands in 2006 (14 songs), and the third show is from Paris, France in 2006 (14 songs). All three are shot with multiple camera angles and feature top-notch production and sound, surprising considering the overall density or Dark Funeral’s style of black metal. Truth is, this is one of the better sounding metal DVD’s I’ve heard.
There is a little bit of crossover of songs from the three shows, as you’d expect from a band with only four albums of material to cover (this isn’t Iron Maiden) but they do throw in some tracks from their EP’s, including the band’s first self titled EP (“My Dark Desires” appears in two if the three shows) and Teach Children to Worship Satan EP (“An Apprentice to Satan” is on two of the three shows also). A majority of the material is culled from the Secrets of the Black Arts, Vobiscum Satanas and Attera Totus Sanctus albums.
The opening outdoor Poland show seems more natural and flowing with less edits and cuts while the Tillburg show, with the band in more rather cheesy armor, has way more bad 80’s MTV FX, edits, cuts and fan shots coming across as actually more forced and amateurish, though the sound is still as blistering as you’d expect-maybe too good, as at times I thought it might be dubbed with the original material as there are not many extended shots of Emperor Caligula singing like the other two shows, just quick cuts. The Paris show seems to be a mix of the first two–a natural and flowing view and delivery of the show with less FX and edits but with the armor and intimate indoor environment.
Of interest to real Dark Funeral fans will be the fan footage chronicling the band’s live shows from all the way back from 1994 to 1997, including the band’s very first performance in Oslo, Norway and cover of VON and Bathory songs. Of course it’s all terrible sound and visual quality, being shot on home video and such, but is a nostalgic look at Dark Funeral’s early days.
A video for one of Dark Funeral’s rare slow tracks, “Atrium Regina” is tacked on the end of Disc 2, but it’s pretty much live footage laced together with various fleeting shots of pentagrams, fire, Baphomets and devil horns. Still though, as a first DVD, this is a pretty lengthy affair with almost four hours of decent live footage from one of black metal’s most respected and uncompromising acts, though it would have been nice to have some interviews, behind the scenes shenanigans and stuff, but I don’t think that’s allowed in black metal.
