Porta Obscura

Porta Obscura is the second studio album by German gothic metal band Coronatus. It contains 11 tracks plus 2 bonus tracks included in the limited edition digipak which was released along with the standard edition. Those bonus tracks are "Flos Obscura", a new recorded Latin version of the track "Dunkle Blume" from their last album, Lux Noctis, and "Volles Leben", the band's first song in its initial form with male vocals.[1]

Porta Obscura
Studio album by
Coronatus
Released28 November 2008
Recorded2008 at Klangschmiede Studio E in Mellrichstadt, Germany
GenreGothic metal
Length45:23
LabelMassacre
ProducerCoronatus
Coronatus chronology
Lux Noctis
(2007)		 Porta Obscura
(2008)		 Fabula Magna
(2009)

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Lords of Metal(67/100)[2]
Metal Hammer (Germany)6/7[3]
Metal Perspective[4]
Sonic Seducerfavourable[5]
Stormbringer[6]

Porta Obscura received mixed reviews from the critics. A review by the Dutch Lords of Metal website complained about a lack of "remarkable compositions".[2] The German edition of Metal Hammer compared the style to Nightwish with influences of medieval metal and lauded the accomplished production.[3] Metal Perspective's reviewer called the album "below average, providing only weak, typical and uninspiring moments"[4] while the German Sonic Seducer magazine marked a considerable improvement of the vocal arrangements compared to Coronatus' first album and praised the multiple musical hues on Porta Obscura.[5] The Austrian webzine Stormbringer was positive about the compositions but asked for a more distinctive original input from the band.[6]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Prologue"1:57
2."Exitus"4:00
3."Fallen"6:50
4."In Silence"4:22
5."Beauty in Black"4:36
6."Cast My Spell"5:09
7."In Your Hands"2:41
8."Mein Herz"3:16
9."Am Kreuz"4:39
10."Der Vierte Reiter"4:30
11."Strahlendster Erster"3:23
12."Flos Obscura" (bonus track)5:14
13."Volles Leben" (bonus track)3:56

Personnel
  • Carmen R. Schäfer - Vocals
  • Ada Flechtner - Vocals
  • Jo Lang - Guitars
  • Fabian Merkt - Keyboards & Programming
  • Chriz diAnno - Bass
  • Mats Kurth - Drums

Info
  • Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.[7][4]
  • The songwriting started when the soprano singer Carmen R. Schäfer was pregnant. Before finishing it she gave birth to her daughter, Beatrice Anita.[1][8]
gollark: ↑
gollark: Because they're the one who has to keep it connected to their body for 9 months or so.
gollark: I don't think that a child is meaningfully, by any definition which is actually sane or relevant, part of a parent's body, or composed of them, and I don't see why "so both genetic contributors get to decide whether the mother keeps it around" follows.
gollark: If they agree to it, sure.
gollark: It seems like you're (implicitly?) doing that weird motte-and-bailey thing where you go "by some strained technical definition, you are part of your parent's body" and then go "since you're now obviously part of their body, they get authority over you".

References
  1. Press info sheet from Massacre Records
  2. "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Lords of Metal.nl. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  3. "Coronatus - Porta Obscura" (in German). 1 December 2008. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  4. Tsakonas, Giannis (24 August 2010). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Metal Perspective.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  5. Eck, Markus (2008). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Sonic Seducer (in German). No. 12. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
  6. Poultidis, Dimitrios (1 December 2008). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura (CD)" (in German). Stormbringer.at. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  7. Official Coronatus site - Discography
  8. Official Coronatus site - News Archived 2009-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
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