DARK FUNERAL – Let the Devil In (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

First Glimpse into a New Era

With Let the Devil In, Swedish black metal institution Dark Funeral unveiled the first full look into their 2022 album We Are The Apocalypse. The single arrives as a deliberate statement of intent from a band with nearly three decades of history behind them. It balances immediacy with menace, spotlighting a vaster dynamic range than the blast-driven assaults that defined the group’s formative years, while keeping the essential darkness intact.

The band introduced the track in their own words: “It may be a slightly different song from us, but it still holds the true darkness and spirit that is Dark Funeral. It was obvious to all of us that this would be the song that we set the bar with and premiere first.” That sense of measured evolution runs through both the music and its accompanying video.

Sound and Structure

Let the Devil In is built around a disciplined mid-tempo stride that frequently blossoms into surging accelerations. The arrangement favors tension-and-release rather than constant velocity, allowing the guitars and vocals to carve out atmosphere. At its core is a sturdy rhythmic engine: precise double-kick patterns and controlled blasts that support, rather than overwhelm, the song’s motifs.

The guitar work from Lord Ahriman and Chaq Mol leans into cold, minor-key tremolo phrases, countered with judiciously placed harmonies and palm-muted thrusts. Riffs arrive in tightly coiled figures that open into broader, melodic arcs during the refrain, reinforcing the song’s ritualistic pull. The interplay avoids ornamental excess and instead focuses on momentum, guiding the listener through a series of well-plotted peaks.

On vocals, Heljarmadr delivers a harsh, serrated performance that rides high in the mix. The phrasing favors clarity and command over pure abrasion, which helps anchor the song’s hook without sanding off its blackened edge. Subtle layering in the chorus underscores the lyric’s incantatory theme, giving the track a ceremonial quality.

Tonal Palette and Production Choices

Production-wise, Let the Devil In opts for definition and bite. Guitars are bright enough to articulate rapid picking yet retain a granulated, wintry texture. The drums cut cleanly, with the snare offering a crisp crack and cymbals providing a fine-grain halo rather than a washy blur. The bass thickens the mid-lows and occasionally peaks through with a tactile growl that reinforces the guitar lines.

Reverb is applied with restraint. Vocals feel present, not buried, and the ambient space is used to enhance drama in transitions and breaks. The arrangement breathes; instrumental layers step forward and recede with purpose, keeping the song’s five-minute canvas engrossing from start to finish.

Lyrical Themes: The Inner Threshold

As the title suggests, Let the Devil In engages with the idea of deliberately crossing an internal threshold. It is not shock for shock’s sake, but a ritual of self-confrontation. The lyric trades in stark, ascetic imagery rather than narrative, aligning with classic black metal preoccupations: will, transgression, and spiritual upheaval. In the band’s words, “a proof of the great deeds you can achieve when you turn to your innermost darkness and in harmony become one with your inner devil.”

That focus on interiority shapes the song’s pacing. Verses feel like steps deeper into a sanctum, while the refrain functions as both invocation and release. The result is a track that communicates intent with ritual cadence rather than theatrical flourish.

Video Aesthetics by Grupa13

The video, created in Wrocław, Poland with Grupa13, complements the song’s ceremonial focus with stark visual language. Performance footage is intercut with ritual imagery, employing chiaroscuro lighting, confined spaces, and controlled color temperatures to heighten tension. Cuts often sync to drum accents and vocal entrances, so the atmosphere is built as much by editorial rhythm as by set design.

Costuming and props are minimal, used to imply rather than explain. The camera lingers on details—hands, flame, texture—inviting the viewer to complete the narrative. The band described the collaboration as a “great pleasure to work with such a professional team,” noting that the result “fits this completely dark story that is ‘Let The Devil In’ very well.” It is an apt visual translation of the track’s pressure, release, and invocation.

Place Within Dark Funeral’s Catalog

Let the Devil In stands at a seam in Dark Funeral’s catalog where sharpened songwriting meets the band’s longstanding aesthetic. The tempo choices and clear production place emphasis on contour and memorability without softening the severity. It shows a veteran group integrating space and groove into their arsenal, expanding the emotional bandwidth of their sound while staying firmly rooted in Scandinavian black metal tradition.

As an opening signal for We Are The Apocalypse, the single sets a thematic and sonic framework: cold tonalities, disciplined aggression, and ritual intent. It invites listeners into a record likely structured around dynamics rather than singular velocity, with the band trusting the power of restraint as much as extremity.

Performance Highlights

Guitar motifs that balance tremolo ferocity with measured, chant-like hooks.
Drumming that alternates between tight blasts and heavy, mid-tempo pulse to shape narrative arcs.
Vocal lines articulated for impact and clarity, enhancing the song’s invocatory core.
A mix that privileges texture and separation, ensuring every part serves the ritual mood.

Closing Note

Let the Devil In captures Dark Funeral’s instinct for evolution within fixed coordinates. It is austere, focused, and unmistakably theirs, a gateway into the broader darkness of We Are The Apocalypse. As a first statement, it fulfills the band’s own ambition to “set the bar,” offering a track that operates like a rite: controlled, consuming, and resolute.

“ENJOY the darkness!” — Lord Ahriman & DARK FUNERAL