Dark Funeral, “Let the Devil In” | Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘

On the 6^th edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the outlandishness behind the song “Let the Devil In” performed by Dark Funeral.  

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ring on the outlandishness! Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 is a column that provides background information and insight into rock and metal songs that raise eyebrows and stir the pot.  The records featured on Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 can be classic or brand new. On the 6^th edition of Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘, we explore the controversy behind the song, 🎵 “Let the Devil In” performed by 🎙 Dark Funeral.

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Theme & Lyrics ✍

“Take a deep, good look inside myself / I open up the gates to let the devil in,” 🎙 Heljarmadr (🎙 Andreas Vingbäck) sings darkly on the 🎙 Dark Funeral record, 🎵 “Let the Devil In”. Woo, that’s devilish right there! Indeed, Satan is “the bringer of chaos,” something evident on this record. The vocalist continues singing in the first verse, “He’s riding on the shadow of my soul / And everywhere I go, he’ll be there walking beside me.”  When commentating about this record to Apple Music, Vingbäck characterizes it as “an introvert song. You look into yourself and realize and accept what you are. Even if you don’t like it, you have to accept it—either to do something about it, or just go with it as an explanation to why you’re doing all the things you’re doing in life.” That’s certainly interesting!

“Let the Devil In” appears on the Swedish metal collective’s 2022 album, 💿 We Are the Apocalypse.  While Heljarmadr’s commentary about introspection is intriguing, it’s also safe to say that “Let the Devil In” wouldn’t fly in Christian circles.  Sure, “it’s about accepting your inner devil and letting him in, but letting him out as well,” but like much of black/extreme metal, there’s ample blasphemy too! “I open up the throat to sacrifice the Lamb of God / And let the warm and flowing blood / Fulfill my emptiness and let the devil hear / The futile, painful, soundless screams,” Heljarmadr sings on the first chorus, which arrives as a disturbing variation later (“I open wide the chest to feast upon the beating heart / And let the pulse arouse my flesh”).  Of course, when referring to the Lamb of God, we’re referring to Jesus, and the sacrifice painted by Dark Funeral seems, well, incredibly Satanic… It goes with the territory, though!  Besides the dark theme and lyrics, the music is fittingly hellish too.

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Final Thoughts 💭

As Vingbäck assets, “To improve yourself as a person, you need to make sacrifices. Every target has a price.” Fair point.  Ultimately, 🎵 “Let the Devil In” is a black but intriguing metal record.  Personally, I’m not into the whole Satan thing but I’d be lying if I said this Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 record didn’t rock 🤘!

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🎙 Dark Funeral • 💿 We Are the Apocalypse • 🏷 Century Media • 🗓 2022

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Dark Funeral, “Let the Devil In”: Outlandish Rock 🎸🤘 No. 6 (2022) [📷: Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype, Paul Brennan on Pixabay, Pexels, Sebastian Ervi, SHVETS production, Vinícius Caricatte]

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