...we decided to not include the lyrics because it would have costed a lot more. At first we wanted to have them enclosed, but then we had to drop the pictures of us on the inside fold up instead. We thought it was more important with these pictures so therefore, no lyrics. Anyway I really doubt that people would understand the lyrics as they are very person, and also I'm not sure we would get them printed as they are not exactly the stuff mainstream people would appreciate...
- Blackmoon / Dark Funeral interview, Slayer #10, 1994
DARK FUNERAL released their debut, the self-titled mini-CD, on this day in 1994.
...the scene in the past was definitely not as trendy as it is today. There's always been trendy bands of course, but as the underground is much bigger and not really as underground as before, a lot of trendy mainstream people have got involved in the scene. If we talk about the scene here in Sweden in '87, the only Death/Black Metal bands were MORBID, MERCILESS, BATHORY, OBSCURIT & MEFISTO. Apart from them there were just boring Metal and Thrash bands. However, those bands came out a long time before the big Death Metal explosion in '88-'89 when bands like NIHILIST and DISMEMBER came, and a million more followed. None of those bands are around today because all the trendy bands came and destroyed everything. The real DEATH/Black Metal scene more of less died when all the freedom loving idiot gore bands came out. I think if a band like MORBID would have been around today they would have been big. What is more or less lost these days is the old spirit of Death/Black Metal. The spirit bands like POSSESSED, SODOM, DESTRUCTION, and BATHORY carried. And that's the tradition we will carry on with. Although it seems like a lot of the bands coming out these days realised this, and are following the old tradition. That is of course good in a way. But what I don't like is people who are telling it was better in the odl days when they weren't even around then. It is in a way a little trendy to be into bands like HELLHAMMER, CELTIC FROST, BATHORY and so on nowadays because there are a lot of people who are starting to listen to that stuff now and not ten years ago. So when you see people wearing shirts like that today you really question yourself if there are really into it... It seems like a lot of idiots wear stuff like that because it supposed to be cult and not because they really like it... There is a lot of people trying to be Black Metal now, but really they don't know a shit about the real underground.
- Blackmoon / Dark Funeral interview, Slayer #10, 1994
The eponymous debut was the first release on DARK FUNERAL (and ex-NECROPHOBIC) guitarist David "Blackmoon" Parland's (1970-2013) label Hellspawn - also know for releasing ABRUPTUM's Evil Genius and VON's Satanic Blood (probably unofficially).
Label profile from the early 2000s:
HELLSPAWN RECORDS was started in early 1994 by ex-DARK FUNERAL guitarist/founder Blackmoon
(David Parland), with the release of the now legendary self-titled DARK FUNERAL MCD, which up until
today has sold more than 15.000 units worldwide - making it one of the absolute bestsellers of the genre.
HELLSPAWN was started with the only intention to release real quality Death/Black Metal music, and has
over the years grown into a real cult label - due to it 's small, but high quality catalogue, with releases from
among others WAR, INFERNAL, DARK FUNERAL, ABRUPTUM, VON, DEATHWITCH as well as real killer
tribute albums to BATHORY and MORBID ANGEL etc.
After some struggling years, HELLSPAWN are now back in business with a long term perspective and deter-
mination to show what real Death/Black Metal is all about. With the help of several new allies and business-
partners - things are set for WORLD DOMINATION!!!