The Swedish black metal band Dark Funeral, which performs in Taipei tonight, recorded its activities of 1997 as follows: "After totally desecrating the unsuspecting American audience with their blasphemous stage show complete with impaled pigs heads on upside-down crosses matched with the unholy members drenched in pigs blood and finishing the set off with Emperor Magus Caligula's firebreathing [sic]. `From there the band embarks on the American Satanic Crusade Tour'..."
Last week in Japan, the fire spitting of Emperor Magus Caligula (vocals and bass) got the band fined by local fire marshals, according to Doris Yeh (葉湘怡), the promoter for the Taipei show and bass player in the band Chthonic (閃靈), which toured with Dark Funeral through Japan. Yeh said Dark Funeral's Taipei set will likely include fire, but probably not pigs' heads or pigs' blood, even though these are cheap and easy to purchase locally.
In Dark Funeral's lyrics, fire is a recurrent theme, particularly evil fire wielded by Satan or other demons that's used to destroy the weak. Satan is another of the band's themes.
Yeh described Dark Funeral's music as "black metal, but faster." She and Chthonic first met the band this April when both played at the New Jersey music fest, Metal Meltdown. Then Chthonic helped schedule Dark Funeral's Taiwan appearance on its current Asia tour. Tonight, Dark Funeral headlines in Taipei at Metal Immortal V, which also includes local bands Chthonic, Snow Dance (雪舞), 666 and Anthelion (幻日). The venue is Zeitgeist (聖界), located at 122, Sec. 2, Chunghsiao E. Rd (北市忠孝東路二段122號). Doors open at 6pm and admission is NT$950.
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