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.^[2]

Porta Obscura
Studio album by Coronatus
Released	14 November 2008[1]
Recorded	2008
Studio	Klangschmiede Studio E in Mellrichstadt, Germany
Genre	Gothic metal
Length	45:23
Label	Massacre
Producer	Coronatus
Coronatus chronology
Lux Noctis (2007) Porta Obscura (2008) Fabula Magna (2009)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Lords of Metal	67/100[3]
Metal.de	5/10[4]
Metal Hammer (Germany)	6/7[5]
Metal Perspective	[6]
Stormbringer	[7]

Porta Obscura received mixed reviews from the critics. A review by the Dutch Lords of Metal website complained about a lack of "remarkable compositions".^[3] The German edition of Metal Hammer compared the style to Nightwish with influences of medieval metal and lauded the accomplished production.^[5] Metal Perspective's reviewer called the album "below average, providing only weak, typical and uninspiring moments"^[6] 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.^[8] The Austrian webzine Stormbringer was positive about the compositions but asked for a more distinctive original input from the band.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
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
Total length:		54:33

Personnel

• Carmen R. Schäfer – vocals
• Ada Flechtner – vocals
• Jo Lang – guitars
• Aria Keramati Noori – guitars
• Fabian Merkt – keyboards & programming
• Chriz diAnno – bass
• Mats Kurth – drums

Info

• Mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.^[9][6]
• The songwriting started when the soprano singer Carmen R. Schäfer was pregnant. Before finishing it she gave birth to her daughter, Beatrice Anita.^[2][10]

References

1. "Coronatus: New Album Title, Release Date Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. 26 April 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
2. Press info sheet from Massacre Records^{[permanent dead link]}
3. "Coronatus - Porta Obscura" (in Dutch). Lords of Metal.nl. Retrieved 27 May 2012. ^{[dead link]}
4. Stephan (11 December 2008). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Metal.de (in German). Retrieved 15 November 2021.
5. "Coronatus - Porta Obscura" (in German). 1 December 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
6. Tsakonas, Giannis (24 August 2010). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Metal Perspective.com. Retrieved 27 May 2012. ^{[dead link]}
7. Poultidis, Dimitrios (1 December 2008). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura (CD)" (in German). Stormbringer.at. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
8. Eck, Markus (2008). "Coronatus - Porta Obscura". Sonic Seducer (in German). No. 12. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
9. Official Coronatus site - Discography^{[permanent dead link]}
10. Official Coronatus site - News Archived 28 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine