BLACK FUNERAL are well known as one of the founders of American Satanic Black Metal. Their impact in that scene was huge despite having relatively little critical acclaim for their earlier works. Perhaps with "Az-I-Dahak" this will change as mainman Michael Ford has spent his time in other more industrial and ambient projects (during BLACK FUNERAL's hibernation) well and has incorporated those elements tastefully in this new offering.

The concept is an inspired look into ancient Persian culture where the King (which I presume from reading must be Dahak) made a pact with the Devil. Why this is significant is that it showcases Michael Ford's interest in the occult and real satanic history rather than the traditional and stale "hail Satan" approach of most contemporary Black Metal.

This is where Ford's experience in more electronic genres comes in. He has incorporated eastern sounds into his Black Metal electronically while losing none of the ambience of traditional harsh repetitive Black Metal. The only unfortunate issue is that the production restrains the true atmosphere of the music and refuses to really let the dynamics of the sound hit the listener with true effectiveness. It does however keep the album incredibly dark and sinister.

Voices and harsh noises combine well with standard, yet unimportant, riffing to create a chilling look into the mind of the composer. Rather than looking at individual songs for compositional merit, BLACK FUNERAL have created a rich and enthralling album where the overall impact of the concept carries so much more weight. The impact itself is tremendous as, when you listen to this in the correct attentive frame of mind, alone, you truly grasp the sheer vile and evil nature of the whole piece. This is not for everybody, but it should be experienced by all who enjoy a deeper side to Black Metal conceptually as opposed to musically. (Online May 26, 2005)