Porta Obscura is the second studio album by Germangothic 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 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]
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]
