The self-proclaimed "Black Hordes of Satan," Sweden's Dark Funeral are amongst the most extreme of Black Metal forbearers and few can match the capacity from which they draw their evil intent.

Engulfed in flames from the first moment of "Open(ing) The Gates," this is a symbolic reissue of their very first EP from back in '93.

Having worked with and appeared with many of the biggest names within the Black Metal catacombs, Dark Funeral's been wielding their weapons of malevolence and mass destruction for longer than many of their ilk who've either bowed out or taken the more gracefully accepted stance of progressive unrestraint and symphonic wailings-which for others is fine but never the way of this most ghastly of Satanichists.

Built upon the ashes of the earliest pioneers, Dark Funeral is a modern day vision that their forbearers from the past couldn't possibly have envisioned…

They are Black Metal to the extreme and every bit as outwardly demonic and destructive as the Venom's that came before them.

Not without the usual run of internal discord, Dark Funeral's never wavered in whatever their incarnation of the time and in this, a most cold and dark abyss from whence they first began, "In The Sign…" features the four early original tracks as well as two extra rare recordings of classic Bathory tracks-the menacing "Equimanthorn," and the instrumentally disquieting "Call From The Grave…" coming down in pieces indeed!

Also inclusive of this new remodeling, historical group photos of the band in all their blackened glory, and new cover art provided by renowned underworld cult artist Necrolord.

Dark Funeral always met or exceeded their own expectations at the roots of Black Metal's annihilative properties and sadistic visions and with this new release, a precursory statement in the wake of a soon to be unleashed new recording, remains a formidable and foreboding presence of what was to come and the impending doom that was to result from it.

Released by Necropolis Records

Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu]