'90s Metal Band Announces Live Album for the First Time in 22 Years
Dark Funeral is giving fans a new way to experience one of black metal's most enduring live acts.
The Swedish band has announced A Beast To Praise, its first live album in 22 years. Set for release on Aug. 21, the collection was recorded in Stockholm in 2022 and features 13 songs spanning nearly 70 minutes. Alongside the announcement, Dark Funeral unveiled the live version of "The Arrival Of Satan's Empire," offering fans a first preview of the upcoming release.
"This song has been with us for quite a while now and still remains one of the strongest songs in our live arsenal," guitarist and founding member Lord Ahriman said in a statement. "No matter where in the world we play it, the reaction is always immediate. It has even been called our 'Raining Blood' by some fans over the years."
A Beast To Praise marks Dark Funeral's first live album since 2004's De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine, ending a 22-year gap between concert releases. While the band has continued releasing studio albums and touring extensively throughout that time, this is the first official live document of the group's modern era.
Formed in Stockholm in 1993, Dark Funeral emerged as one of the defining bands of the second wave of black metal. Led by Lord Ahriman, the group built its reputation on blistering speed, theatrical live performances and albums including The Secrets of the Black Arts, Diabolis Interium and Where Shadows Forever Reign, becoming one of Sweden's most influential extreme metal exports.
More recently, the band has remained a fixture on the international touring circuit while continuing to release new music, including its acclaimed 2022 album We Are the Apocalypse. This October, Dark Funeral will return to Europe as part of the In League With Satan tour alongside Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir.
"We are better live than ever before, we're more focused on really bringing out the best show we possibly can," Ahriman told The Rock Pit.
After more than two decades without a new live album, A Beast To Praise captures a band that continues to evolve while remaining true to the sound that made it a cornerstone of black metal. For longtime fans, it offers the closest thing to standing in the front row of a Dark Funeral concert.
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 10:16 AM.