DIMMU BORGIR

Reviewed:
- For All Tid (1995)
- Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997)
- Spiritual Black Dimensions (1999)
- Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001)
- Death Cult Armageddon (2003)
- Stormblåst MMV (2005)
- In Sorte Diaboli (2007)
- Abrahadabra (2010)
- Eonian (2018)


FOR ALL TID          1995         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Under korpens vinder', 'Stien', 'Hunnerkongens sorgsvarte ferd over steppene', 'Raabjørn speiler draugheimens skodde'
If you read my recent 'Blast from the past albums' post about Gorgoroth's Under the Sign of Hell, you'll know that I didn't really get into black metal until I was around 18, and even then I would say I was only really a casual fan of the genre throughout most of my 20s. Dimmu Borgir were one of the first black metal bands I checked out; I remember buying their 2005 album Stormblåst MMV - actually a re-recording of their 1996 album of the same name - and liking it enough to pick up Death Cult Armageddon not long afterwards. And then I didn't buy any other Dimmu Borgir albums for many years... at some point during my 20s I acquired Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, but it's not until recent years that I really acquired more of their catalogue. Like I said, I was a casual black metal fan for years, so I was only really picking up albums that could be considered "essential" to the genre for a very long time.  

But hey, it's 2026 now and I own most of Dimmu Borgir's major releases, including this 1995 debut of theirs, For All Tid ('For All Time' translated). I haven't really lived with this one very long, but I like it. I'd heard the band's earlier material was much rawer and more in line with the classic second-wave Norwegian black metal sound than what they would evolve into later, but that just means I kinda dig this album by default. It's far from one of the best black metal albums of the time that I can think of; it doesn't hold a candle to Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse, Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or Immortal's At the Heart of Winter etc., but I still find For All Tid to be an enjoyable romp nonetheless. True, the style of tremolo riffing combined with the rough production is similar to what a lot of the other bands of the scene were doing at the time, but you can still hear plenty of the key ingredients of what makes Dimmu Borgir, well, Dimmu Borgir in here throughout the CD. For starters, this is still melodic black metal with strong symphonic overtones. It's just a much less refined, cruder version of the sort of thing they would record later on down the line.

Technically speaking, the music is more simplistic here than their later works. And thanks to the raw production, the songs have a much harsher feel to them. I won't say heavier, but definitely harsher in that typical lo-fi black metal fashion. Most of the lead vocals were still performed by Silenoz here, rather than Shagrath. And for the most part, he's growling and gargling his way through the songs, save for some usage of clean vocals on 'Over bleknede blåner til dommedag'. His clean vocals are, admittedly, kinda amateurish and borderline amusing, but I can tolerate them. It's a big part of Dimmu Borgir's sound, it's just surprising how Silenoz ended up singing the bulk of the songs when Shagrath is undoubtedly the better vocalist of the 2. Guess he just didn't know it yet?! And while the band's instrumentation would get more technical and impressive further down the line, I wouldn't necessarily call the song structures "basic". They don't sound any less accomplished than a lot of their contemporaries, at least in my opinion. Even if the songs aren't hugely exciting overall, they're not sloppy.

I can't call this my favourite Dimmu Borgir record, but I'm definitely in the ballpark of fans who actually appreciate this album. Review scores and opinions are all over the place online. I agree that it's as basic as the band gets, but I think as a black metal album from 1995, it's really not a bad effort at all. Sure, not much research is required to find better albums from the same era than this one, but you could certainly do a lot worse. The keyboards have been put to good use and bring lots of appropriately mystical and cold atmosphere to the simplistic riffs. It adds that much-needed symphonic layer to some pretty basic black metal, and makes them feel much more grandiose and epic. And that's good of course! Atmosphere is hugely important in this genre, and I think they deliver in this regard. That's probably why I like For All Tid. Again, not a classic of the genre, but a solid start for Dimmu Borgir. 
Adam's rating: 7.4/10


ENTHRONE DARKNESS TRIUMPHANT          1997          (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: Whole thing is superb!
I'm fully aware that I'm missing the original version of Stormblåst, which was released in 1996 between For All Tid and this, 1997's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. It seems to sell for an arm and a leg online wherever I look right now, and I'm happy enough to just stick with my copy of the 2005 re-recorded version. But anyway, last October I spent a weekend in Chester with my fiancée and visited a really cool record shop that I'd once been in many years ago (Grey n Pink Records). A lot of their stock is vinyl, but they also have a tasty selection of used CDs. I found my copy of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant for something like £3 or £4, and it rekindled my interest in Dimmu Borgir. The last time I bought a DB album was way back in likely my early 20s (it was Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia). But I've listened to Enthrone Darkness Triumphant a lot in the last 6 months or so, and like I said in my For All Tid review, I've added a few more DB albums to my collection ever since. Also nice is the fact practically all these albums have cost me very little (except for the aforementioned 1996 Stormblåst, where any version of that album is crazy expensive right now!) - I feel like a lot of the bands I like have at least 3 or 4 albums that are out of print and hard to find cheap.

Anyway, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is one classy, dramatic and maybe even operatic slab of black metal. The level of musicianship compared to For All Tid is night and day. Yet they still hadn't quite gotten super popular yet at this point, so the album as a whole feels more like a 100% legit black metal release. I'd like to point out that I personally don't hold any grudges against them getting popular. I guess some fans felt they sold out with their later albums... fair enough, but I still think they had plenty of aces left up their sleeves. They're one of the very few Scandinavian black metal bands with charting albums worldwide! If anything, I admire that!

Back to EDT. The music is much more accomplished of course, but still firmly black metal. Everything's just better now, though. The guitars are still mostly made up of tremolo-picked riff structures, but there's far more going on. You get more odd chords thrown in, and all the riffs flow together effortlessly. Also, you do get the occasional catchy riff here and there (just listen to those more conventional mid-tempo heavy metal riffs in 'Master of Disharmony') - they don't take away from the bleak atmosphere or black metal sound of this album, they just keep things fresh. Meanwhile, the symphonic/keyboardy element of the band is much more impressive and moody, not mention memorable. It's hard to remember some of these tracks purely by the riffs, but I never forget how any of the symphonic/keyboard melodies go, particularly on songs like 'Spellbound (By the Devil)', 'Tormentor of Christian Souls', 'Entrance', 'In Death's Embrace' etc.. They're either epic, dark, brooding or gothic... or all of those things at the same time! I'd also like to add that Tjodalv's drum work is tight as fuck, and throughout the album he's doing all kinds of double-kicks and blast beats; a huge step-up from For All Tid. The music is pretty darn great then, but so are the vocals. Shagrath takes over lead vocals, and even though he's not really "original" in his approach to them, his growls are dark and menacing, yet also clear and audible all things considered. 

There's not really a lot of holes I can pick with this one. It's not one of my favourite black metal albums ever, even if I do hold it in high regard. And the songs are all kind of samey I guess, so if I'm not in a black metal mood, well, tough shit. There aren't any songs that obviously stand out as being different from one another, but this isn't really a bad thing either. Basically, the album never gets boring. Even the production is really good; far more professional than For All Tid, and also a whole lot heavier. I get that some people dig the lo-fi sound of black metal, but I think when you're writing and recording songs with this much depth, a raw mix wouldn't be getting the best out of the tracks. So really, practically everything on this album is a prime example of symphonic black metal done correctly. Dimmu Borgir won't ever top Emperor for me, but Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is no doubt one of the greatest albums of this particular style. 
Adam's rating: 8.8/10


SPIRITUAL BLACK DIMENSIONS          1999          (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: Consistently great from beginning to end.
Well I think I might actually like the music on this one more than Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, it's just a shame that the production/mixing it isn't quite up to snuff! The drum work is awesome, but it'd sound even better had they been more prominent in the mix! It's the only thing that really bugs me about this album. Aside from that, I've only really got good things to say about Spiritual Black Dimensions. It's certainly a symphonic black metal album over anything else, but it also leaves me with a taste of what I can only really describe as "extreme metal"... reminds me a little of Cradle of Filth? 'Course, I don't want to compare Dimmu Borgir directly to Cradle of Filth, but I do think they share some similarities. Anyway, despite the problems surrounding the drums, the production in general is probably even cleaner than the previous album. Don't fret however; the cleaner, more modern production only works in the album's favour. The music is even more epic and symphonic than it's predecessor that I think a rough mix would've harmed the atmosphere quite severely. Ahh, the atmosphere.

Yep, this was easily the most symphonic/keyboard-y album they'd made at this point, and it's been pulled off remarkably well once again. In fact, in terms of atmosphere, I'd say SBD has the edge over EDT. It's kind of dreamlike, yet nightmarish all the same. There's lots of pianos, strings and choir-like backing vocals all over the songs, and it's admirable how well the band incorporate them into the harsh nature of black metal. Because they don't hold back on the guitars either; there's tons of heavy, thrashy and extreme riffage going on throughout the album - check out 'The Blazing Monoliths of Defiance'. There's even some neat guitar soloing on here too. For example, 'Dreamside Dominons' guitar solos shred, while the soloing on 'Grotesquery Conceiled (Within Measureless Magic)' is highly melodic and tuneful! Definitely unconventionally black metal, if that makes any sense. Call 'em sellouts if you really want, 'cos they definitely were expanding their sound on this album. I think it works; the album may be more grandiose and epic than it's predecessor, but I'd also argue that the actual metallic side of the songs is even heavier than before, hence the feeling of extreme metal I get. The musicianship has risen another level - the guitar playing is more technical and impressive, Shagrath's vocal performance is even stronger this time around, plus the album has lots of guest clean vocals from ICS Vortex. All the while the symphonic arrangements feel really well thought-out and implemented. It all adds up to create a more experimental record, but no aspect of the songwriting outstays it's welcome, so I'm in favour of it. It doesn't feel like they were selling out to me at all. Maybe if I'd been a fan of them since their inception I wouldn't feel the same way, but personally this is the kind of sound I think of most when it comes to Dimmu Borgir!

Despite the imperfect production, I still think I'm gonna have to put Spiritual Black Dimensions above Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. I get lost in the atmosphere of this album, and the 49 minute length of the record means I never get bored in the process. It's accessible black metal, and that's not a bad thing.
Adam's rating: 9/10


PURITANICAL EUPHORIC MISANTHROPIA          2001          (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny', 'Kings of the Carnival Creation', 'Hyrbid Stigmata', 'Architecture of a Genocidal Nature', 'Puritania', 'Indoctrination', 'The Maelstrom Mephisto', 'Absolute Sole Right'
Even more experimental and larger in scope than Spiritual Black Dimensions! Whether or not that's a good thing is up to the listener. I tend to see either Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, Spiritual Black Dimensions or this, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia at the top of peoples' favourite Dimmu Borgir album lists. So it's fair to go into this one with high expectations. For me, I heard this after Stormblåst MMV and Death Cult Armageddon, and then didn't buy any more DB records for many years. I definitely considered it to be the best of the 3 albums I did own at the time, and I've listened to it a bunch of times again over the last few months and I have to say it still hits the spot. But is it better than either of the last 2? Nah! Like I said, there's more things going on musically here. Unlike the last 2, I find it difficult to really slap the "symphonic black metal" label on it and leave it at that. Symphonic blackened extreme metal?! Yeah, I guess!

I will say that from a production standpoint, this is the best yet. There's no issues with the drums here, the guitars are monstrously heavy and everything as a whole sounds rich and deep. I can't fault the album sonically at all. And really, even if I still find myself enjoying the previous couple of albums more, we're only talkin' small amounts. PEM is great! The symphonic side of the band is still in full effect of course, but the atmosphere is a tad different this time around. It isn't quite as mesmerising as SBD, nor is it as dark as EDT. I'd describe it as gothic-y and theatrical with a slightly tongue-in-cheek attitude. There's all kinds of different vocal styles on here. The expected growls from Shagrath are present of course, but there's also a whole lot more clean vocals courtesy of ICS Vortex. The clean vocals are operatic and somewhat cheesy, but it only adds to the charm of the band. Some of the vocals on tracks like 'Hybrid Stigmata' and 'Puritania' are distorted and give the album an industrial edge at times. See what I mean when I say it's hard to really stamp "black metal" on this CD?! I mean, some of the riffs even sound full-on thrash to my ears at times (see 'Architecture of a Genocidal Nature' and 'Indoctrination'!)!

So the album's kind of all over the place at times, but thankfully the keyboards and orchestration keep the overall atmosphere pretty grounded. And even if the experimentation has been taken that extra step further, the music is never dull. It's an exciting record from start to finish, and also their most technically impressive effort at the time (the drumming is insane, the guitars are tight as hell, the vocals are wider-ranging etc.). I just find the tone of Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia to be a little less special than the previous 2 efforts. Atmosphere is a huge part of this band, and even if this is the most impressive of the 3 in terms of actual performances from the band members, it doesn't quite offer the same level of musical escapism as it's 2 predecessors. That's not to say it lacks atmosphere, 'cos it most definitely has plenty to go around. I'm just saying that I like the atmosphere of the last couple of albums a bit more.

Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is about as good as I remembered. It's great, even. My least favourite of the classic trilogy, sure, but still highly enjoyable. I get why some black metal fans might take issue with Dimmu Borgir; I mean, this album is massively overblown and too big for it's own boots if you look at it from a purely black metal perspective. But that's also kind of the point, and also why they're one of the few bands to come out of that scene with any sort of mainstream popularity. I'd hate 'em too if they were throwing in pop melodies and choruses here... but they didn't! I guess to some people any change in musical direction is considered "selling out". In Dimmu Borgir's case, I don't care (at least at this point in their career). I'll keep spinning this one thanks!
Adam's rating: 8.4/10


DEATH CULT ARMAGEDDON          2003         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Allegiance', 'Progenies of the Great Apocalypse', 'Lepers Among Us', 'For the World to Dictate Our Death', 'Allehelgens død i Helveds rike', 'Cataclysm Children', 'Unorthodox Manifesto'
Well this feels like a more focused Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia to me. And hey, although the title "Death Cult Armageddon" is kinda silly, at least it rolls off the tongue a little easier than "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia"! But yeah, while the album is still massively pompous (in a good way) and theatrical, it just feels a little more, well, guided this time around. Or maybe it's just not surprising to hear the orchestral theatrics of the band anymore after the experimentation of the previous album? Yep, I dunno what I'm talking about either! I guess all I'm trying to say is that Death Cult Armageddon feels like a confident sequel to Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. It does things similarly without feeling like a total rehash. 

The music is still bombastic; 'Progenies of the Great Apocalypse' even has kind of a fanfare sound about it. It really is symphonic, and not just in an atmospheric way. That's how I feel about a lot of this album. The orchestral sound is grander and more classical. Not necessarily as gothic in atmospheric this time, but more epic. And that goes for the entire thing really. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra lent a hand for the recording of the album, and it shows. I'm not taking anything away from bands like I Emperor (I'm a bigger Emperor fan that I am Dimmu Borgir), but when it comes to symphonic black metal, well, DB really are symphonic - more so than Emperor. Like I said, at this point in their career, the orchestral arrangements serve a far bigger purpose than just atmosphere. While the strings, horns and whatever else obviously do lend a big hand in creating an epic, horror-like atmosphere, they're a big part of the structure of the songs on this album too. It doesn't really feel experimental for this particular album, the band feel comfortable with it.

Thankfully however, they hadn't completely forgotten how to be heavy either. The guitar tones aren't quite as biting or extreme as they were on the predecessor, but the riffs are still there. 'Cataclysm Children' for example, is a black metal monster. The drumming is as intense as ever, and Shagrath's vocals are predictably as nasty and throat-shredding as they should be throughout the tracklisting. I don't find this album to be as heavy overall as PEM though. If you're gonna put more focus into the orchestral side of the music, then by default the album is gonna feel less extreme as a whole. I mean, the orchestral melodies can be pretty at times - 'Allehelgens død i Helveds rike' has some of the heaviest, most extreme riffing and drum work of the whole album, but also some of the most soaring, pretty symphonies to go with it! Some people feel they strayed too far from the traditional black metal sound and went too far with all the pompy experimentation/dicking around with orchestras on the last album - those same people will undoubtedly feel the same way about Death Cult Armageddon. Me, I think they got the balance right again on this disc.

Having said that, I do think the album is longer than it needed to be. It lasts over an hour in total, and all 3 of the longest songs ('Eradication Instincts Defined', 'Unorthodox Manifesto' and 'Heavenly Perverse') are all tacked on the end of the album one after another. Granted, they're all good songs - I particularly like the ambitious 'Eradication Instincts Defined' - but I can't help but feel like the album would've flown better had they been spaced out more. As it stands, the album gets a little tiresome after 50 or so minutes, even if the quality of the music is pretty consistent throughout. I also don't like the way ICS Vortex has been under-utilised here. Maybe it's just me, but it feels like there's a lot less usage of clean vocals on this album compared to it's predecessor, and given how grandiose and orchestral the songs are now, I find that surprising.

All in all however, Death Cult Armageddon is pretty great once again. It's one of 3 Dimmu Borgir albums I've had in my collection for a very long time, but it's not one I really listened to much when I was younger. Hearing it again today though, I'd say I like it to nearly the same extent as Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia.
Adam's rating: 8/10


STORMBLAST MMV          2005         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: Take your pick!
The first Dimmu Borgir album I ever bought. I'm not sure how I ended up with this one first, it being a re-recording of their second album, 1996's Stormblåst. I think I must've bought it without knowing it was a re-recording! I still don't own the original due to high prices online, nor have I heard it... maybe that's a good thing? I can judge Stormblåst MMV purely by it's own merit. I will say that I'm often not a fan of when a band re-records one of their older albums. A lot of the time it just seems unnecessary, but reviews online of this one are mostly pretty positive. As far as re-recorded albums go, people seem to like this. Me? Yep, I still like it a lot. The fact it was my first DB album could mean there's some bias in that thinking, but in general this is just a strong slice of melodic/symphonic black metal. And if you listen to it chronologically after the last few albums, it's kind of a breath of fresh air. Spiritual Black Dimensions... things were starting to get pretty fancy and pompous. Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia... well, they got totally experimental at that point. Death Cult Armageddon... that's a ridiculously symphonic, epic record. And then we get to Stormblåst MMV, and it feels like they've reverted to their roots. I mean, they technically have of course because it's a re-recording of their second album - but once again, I still haven't heard it!

Naturally then, this album is much more traditionally black metal than any of the last 3. It's still symphonic of course; every song makes use of atmospheric keyboards/synths like they've always done. But there's certainly no real experimentation to speak of, and that's why the almost stripped-back nature of the music is a welcome return. Not that I take issue with any of the previous 3 albums, there's just nothing wrong with going back to basics every once in a while! And anyway, there's still a depth to these songs. The orchestral sounds are nowhere near as bombastic this time, but either way there's a rich and majestic, dark atmosphere throughout the entirety of this disc that is essential to any Dimmu Borgir record. It's a perfect album to listen to at home on a cold, rainy winters day.

The guitar work is more traditionally black metal as expected - there's more of the usual tremolo riffs and less variety of styles to speak of than the last few albums. But that's fine! If anything, I find the guitars combined with the atmospheric keyboards gives this album more emotion and honesty than Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia or Death Cult Armageddon. It isn't as harsh or heavy, nor is it as technically impressive - but that's not the point. A lot of the time there's melody in the guitars, even if they are more typically black metal. The drums too (interestingly provided by Mayhem's Hellhammer this time), feel a bit less show showy - but are still tight as a drum and full of all the expected blastbeats. Good stuff! As for the vocals, again, Shagrath's growls are a tad more limited, but they accompany the music perfectly. And there aren't any clean vocals courtesy of ICS Vortex to speak of whatsoever - although there are still some clean vocals, like on 'Vinder fra en ensom grav'. In fact, Dimmu Borgir recorded Stormblåst MMV with a completely different band approach. There's only 4 guys playing on this album as opposed to 6. No doubt this makes the music more faithful to their roots.

Hmm. I don't have much else to say about the actual music! It's hard to really talk about the songs individually as they pretty much all confidently follow the similar formula of old-school black metal guitars with added melody, moody yet elegant keyboards, fast drums and growling vocals. I'll add that the production is understandably modern and I assume much cleaner than the original Stormblåst, but this is no bad thing. As I said before, I find this album to be a nice departure to their earlier sound after the high ambitions of the last few records. Again, maybe I'm biased because it was the first Dimmu Borgir album I ever heard, but Stormblåst MMV is just a fine melodic and atmospheric black metal album whichever way you look at it.
Adam's rating: 8.5/10


IN SORTE DIABOLI        2007         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'The Serpentine Offering', 'The Chosen Legacy', 'The Ancestral Fever', 'The Sacrilegious Scorn', 'The Sinister Awakening', 'The Fundamental Alienation', 'The Invaluable Darkness'
Considering I only payed a fiver for my copy of In Sorte Diaboli, it has some of the coolest and most interesting packaging of any CD in my collection. It comes in a chunky digipak - nothing special - but inside is a cardboard pouch containing the booklet and a... mirror?! I didn't read the description on Ebay, so when this album came through my door and I opened up the digipak for the first time, I was confused to say the least. Open up the booklet however, and all the lyrics are printed backwards. The mirror is there so you can read them properly! I know, I know - pretty damn pointless. But I like when bands do this kind of shit! It's creative, and I feel like I got proper bang for my buck for a change! I know this album is common and it's easy to bag a limited edition copy like mine for peanuts, but a measly £5 got me a nice product, so I'm happy. It also comes with a bonus disc - a DVD that chronicles the making of the album. I don't watch these things, but whatever! Still cool!

As for the album and music itself, again, it's actually a bit less orchestral-sounding than Death Cult Armageddon. Even so, this is not a return to their black metal roots in the same vein of Stormblåst MMV. Nah, it definitely sits closer to the extreme blackened sounds of Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and Death Cult Armageddon despite the fact they toned down the symphonic stylings this time around. That's not to say the album isn't symphonic - every song still makes use of keyboards, pianos and whatever else, it's just not so much at the forefront of the music for many of these tracks. So by default I'd say In Sorte Diaboli isn't quite as epic in terms of it's atmosphere... but Dimmu Borgir are Dimmu Borgir, and to say the album is not atmospheric would be lying. The music even takes a breather to focus on atmosphere with the instrumental 'The Fallen Arises', which is plonked in the middle of the tracklisting. Anyhow, I for one welcome the slight change in direction for this release. It's not as pompous or dynamic as aforementioned albums like Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia or Death Cult Armageddon, but the music is still heavy as all hell, and the performances from each of the band members is stellar. 

And the songs are still rich and complex enough that they don't feel stripped-back, even if they're weren't toying so much with orchestras this time. Not that I'd have taken issue had they decided to go full-on black metal again of course, but with In Sorte Diaboli the band successfully trimmed the symphonic fat whilst still maintaining the extreme metal sound of the last few records (minus Stormblåst MMV). They put more effort into clean vocals throughout the album; ICS Vortex has more time to shine here than he did on Death Cult Armageddon, and he accompanies Shagrath's harsher black metal vocals very well. It keeps the music theatrical. The guitars are heavy and grinding, as expected, but the tones are still clean and crisp. The drumming is expectedly impressive, and there's enough bass/low end across the album to satisfy my needs. The production in general is very polished, but the instruments don't sound fake or over-processed either. It's ironic that my favourite Dimmu Borgir album (Spiritual Black Dimensions) is flawed in the production department, but most of their albums that have come since have all sounded great in my opinion.

Not only did they finetune their formula for this release, they also shortened the album's length. At 47 minutes long it's their shortest record since For All Tid. I suppose you could argue they were being unambitious, but one of the biggest problems I had with Death Cult Armageddon was the fact I thought it was too long. This isn't the case with In Sorte Diaboli. In fact, I think it was necessary for them to do what they did on this album at this point.

... and despite all my praise for this album, I'm still finding it hard to put it higher than Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia! I find In Sorte Diaboli to be consistently good from start to finish, but the songwriting doesn't excite me in the same way that PEM does. I still think this is a great album, and kind of an underrated one at that. I prefer it over Death Cult Armageddon, but it still isn't quite up to the same level of quality as the stuff they were putting out in the late 90s/early 2000s. But I still think anyone who enjoyed any of the last few albums will like this one a lot too. I know I do.
Adam's rating: 8.2/10


ABRAHADABRA            2010          (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Chess with the Abyss', 'Ritualist', 'A Jewel Traced Through Coal'
Hmm. I can understand why hardcore black metal fans don't resonate with anything after Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, but looking at reviews online, Abrahadabra has even the most loyal Dimmu Borgir fans divided! Now, I've listened to Abrahadabra a handful of times, and I have to say I don't think it's terrible by any means. But I am certainly in agreement that the album's a noticeable step down after any of the last bunch. Oh, and that Abrahadabra is a dumb album title and almost feels like self-parody at this point.

On the surface of things, the album sounds like a continuation of Death Cult Armageddon or Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, but when you really take in the songs you can tell that something's a little off somewhere. While the guitars are still heavy at heart, they're lacking somehow. The riffs feel a little more chuggy and simplistic overall, like they're there to tick boxes more than have any real effect on the structure of the songs. The way the album has been mixed makes sure the guitars have no real time in the spotlight - at least that's how I feel anyway. Of course, Dimmu Borgir were never solely about riffs - but there were definitely at least a handful of songs on every previous album that stuck the guitars front and centre. And they fact they're toned down the way they are becomes very noticeable after the first 2 or 3 on this album. Obviously the guitars not being prioritised means the album isn't as heavy overall as pretty much anything that came before. And that's the weird thing about this CD... it just doesn't ever seem to sound heavy to my ears. The fact it has Shagrath's raspy growls, detuned guitars and tight drums means it should sound heavy... but it doesn't! Hell, even the drums have been weakened in the mix as well though. I will at least say that the songs 'Chess with the Abyss' and 'A Jewel Traced Through Coal' are instant classics and could have fit on Death Cult Armageddon easily. It's just a shame they're somewhat marred by the fluffier production.

The band recruited the Norwegian Radio Orchestra to handle that side of things, and I think in terms of theatrics the album is as impressive as any other when it comes to that side of things. The atmosphere is epic and gothic-y again, even if it feels a little warmer than usual. And the way the symphonic passages and melodies blend in with the metallic side of the songwriting is once again pretty effortless and seamless. I'm always impressed by how the band manage to mesh both styles together so well. I also think the vocal performances from Shagrath and all the clean vocals from elsewhere (ICS Vortex does not appear on this album, clean vocals are handled by a number of guest singers) are on par with any of the last few records too. Also good is the fact they kept the album length just uder 50 minutes once again. It didn't need to be any longer, and thankfully it's not!

Sadly I'm in the same ballpark as everyone else who was disappointed by this album, in case you couldn't tell. I wouldn't call it an epic fail; it still sounds like Dimmu Borgir - just Dimmu Borgir for casual metal fans. I get that these guys had far more mainstream appeal than 99% of other black metal bands (the album sales and chart positions speak for themselves), but come on now - the casual metal fans I know like Metallica, Slipknot, Rammstein... maybe a bit of Lamb of God and Gojira (presumably because of the Olympics last year). They don't listen to Dimmu Borgir. Abrahadabra on the other hand, is an album I genuinely believe some casual metal fans could very well enjoy! Sorry to gatekeep, but this shouldn't have happened!

In all seriousness, this album is a big step-down from In Sorte Diaboli. But it's far from horrible. Nothing here makes me bite my lip or cringe, it's just lightweight by Dimmu Borgir's standards. Had it been produced/mixed differently, it'd be better for sure. Now there's something I'd buy - a remixed Abrahadabra.
Adam's rating: 6/10


EONIAN         2018         (Nuclear Blast)
- Standouts: 'Council of Wolves and Snakes', 'The Empyrean Phoenix', 'Lightbringer', 'I Am Sovereign', 'Archaic Correspondence', Alpha Aeon Omega'
It took nearly 8 years for this album to come out after 2010's Abrahadabra. And funnily enough, Eonian is still the most recent Dimmu Borgir studio album to date - that is, until next month (May 2026) when Grand Serpent Rising finally drops. I pretty much have to buy the new album next month now that I've started this post; it's total coincidence that the band just happens to be releasing their new album about a month after I started this page!

Anyhow, Eonian is a step back in the right direction after the disappointing Abrahadabra, even if I'm still struggling to put it on par with most of their albums pre-2010. And no matter how many times I listen to this thing, I just can't seem to enjoy opening track 'The Unveiling'. I like the main riff, but the orchestral melodies are too soft and soothing for my liking. It's a skip for me at this point, but thankfully 'The Unveiling' does not speak for the rest of this album. Track 2, 'Interdimensional Summit', would've made a better opener because the choir-style backing vocals are absolutely epic. A lot of folks on the World Wide Web seem to hate this one for being almost too orchestral for it's own good, sounding closer to Nightwish than Dimmu Borgir. But I kinda dig it, even if it's not perfect! So even though this one is an anomaly for some fans, the rest of the album isn't too full of surprises. Maybe 'Ætheric' isn't quite nasty enough, but at least it wasn't mixed like Abrahadabra and still has balls. And the way they end on an instrumental ('Rite of Passage') sometimes makes me want to end the album on the previous song instead of sitting through a fantasy soundtrack-like number, but whatever! 

At least 70% of this CD is very good stuff. I'd argue that songs like 'Council of Wolves and Snakes', 'I Am Sovereign' and 'The Empyrean Phoenix' (the latter manages to remind me a lot of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant - that can only be a good thing!) are every bit as good, if not better, than what you heard on albums like Death Cult Armageddon or In Sorte Diaboli. When the album wants to be black metal, it's probably the most black metal Dimmu Borgir have sounded in a long time. When it wants to be more of a symphonic metal affair, then the orchestral arrangements are as epic as ever. A song like 'Lightbringer' - my favourite on the album - is a perfect blend of the 2. The riffs are great, the vocals are nasty... but there's enough theatrics here to make this one an instant classic. Really, Eonian feels like an album that sits somewhere between Death Cult Armageddon and In Sorte Diaboli. It's a bit more black metal than the former, but more symphonic/epic than the latter. The guitar work and riffage is a mixture of the usual black metal tremolo stuff along with the odd thrashy/death/extreme metal style riffs and even some melodic parts at times too. The vocals too, range from Shagrath's signature raspy high-end growls to deeper, lower gutterals and massive choir backing chants. It has the atmosphere a Dimmu Borgir record deserves, and all performances from each band member is as technically impressive as anything else they've ever recorded. Plus, the production packs more punch than Abrahadabra - the sheer heaviness of the band is just as potent as their majestic side, as it should be. It also sounds a tad more organic this time around, with better, clearer-sounding instruments this time around. Modern, but not too shiny either.

Eonian's quality seems ramp up a lot after the first handful of tracks. It's starts off a little dodgy, but those early niggling doubts fade quite quickly after 10 or so minutes of listening and it becomes a rock-solid Dimmu Borgir album. It's just a shame it isn't consistent in quality from start to finish like so many other DB records are. Still, it's a damn sight than Abrahadabra, and really, if you enjoyed practically anything this band released from Spiritual Black Dimensions onwards, then you'll certainly find enough to like about Eonian.
Adam's rating: 7.7/10

Blast from the past albums #12: KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - Killswitch Engage (2000, Ferret Music)

In this series of posts I'll discuss an album I picked up as a teenager or my early 20s and haven't listened to in a very long time.

Let me just start by saying I'm not a fan of metalcore. When Parkway Drive were announced to headline the Saturday night at Bloodstock 2019, I felt betrayed (I'm that much of a sad bastard). Yep, I'm one of those guys. Maybe if metalcore had been one of my first major exposures to metal as a whole, then I'd be more into it. But it wasn't, and there's also something about the metalcore scene in general that feels drastically different to the type of crowds I meet at any heavy/thrash/death/black/power metal gig etc. in a way that I don't want to be a part of. So why the fuck do I have any Killswitch Engage albums in my collection then?! Especially considering the fact I've always hated their cover of Dio's 'Holy Diver' with a burning passion! Well, at some point during my late teens I suddenly decided that I actually kind of liked the song 'My Last Serenade', so I went out and bought their 2002 album Alive or Just Breathing. In fact, Alive or Just Breathing in general is a metalcore album I can somewhat tolerate. Some of the melodic parts annoy me, but I find the songwriting on that record to be often impressive. I liked it enough that it made me pick up their debut very soon after. And guess what? Until now I hadn't touched it for about a million years.

I can understand why I haven't bothered listening to this album again since I was about 19. Aside from maybe the odd riff, the first 3 tracks were immediately uncomfortable for me to digest. I'm not saying that because they're bad; in fact, I'll take Killswitch Engage over Bad Omens, Ice Nine Kills, Motionless in White and all the over TikTok generation pop metalcore slop that's popular these days. At least I know well enough that KE actually have credibility within their genre. I'm just saying that they don't settle well with me because they reminded me right away why I'm not a metalcore fan in the first place. It's the whiny, clean and melodic parts that piss me off. Well, that and the vocals as a whole. Jesse Leach definitely suits the music, that much is true - but he's not my cup of tea. The harsh vocals are too high pitched and grating, and not in a black metal way either. His clean singing voice is actually rather good, I'd just prefer not hear that, well, emo style of singing in my metal thank 'ya very much. But you know what? As a metalcore vocalist he's probably great. Talented for sure, just not my kind of vocalist. One thing I will give the band credit for is the blatantly obvious hardcore side of the metalcore sound. 'Irreversal' is built around some really heavy, detuned beatdown hardcore style riffs that remind me of bands like Terror, Strife... maybe even a bit of Biohazard. It makes me question where the "metal" part of "metalcore" comes into it, but at least they've got the "core" side covered!

In all honesty though, most of the album from track 4 onwards actually sounds quite a lot more metal to me. Other than the moody instrumental 'One Last Sunset', they seem to tone down the clean, melodic parts within a lot of the songs later on. Much of the riffing is kind of a blend of groove metal, melodeath and even a touch of thrash here and there, and in general about 60% of the actual music on this album actually sounds good to this metalhead's ears. I'm talkin' to the point where songs like 'Soilborn', 'Rusted Embrace' and 'In the Unblind' would actually sound pretty great with another singer with a completely different vocal style! The riffs are tight and heavy, any of the breakdown-y parts don't sound like pure cringe which I find to be the case with so many modern metalcore bands and there's also enough melody implemented within them that they're memorable too. If I had to pick a favourite song, it's probably 'Numb Sick Eyes'. The harsh vocals are still borderline annoying to me, but Leach's clean vocals combined with the atmospheric backing vox work really well here.

This is undoubtedly a biased post. I admitted at the beginning that I generally can't get on board with metalcore. But this album is a part of my collection, and it certainly does qualify for this post's subject matter! So at the very least I'm being honest here. I don't find this debut to be totally worthless; like I said, a decent chunk of the music sounds pretty decent to me, probably because I don't feel like the instrumentation is even typically metalcore 100% of the time. And I think guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz' (although at this point he was still on drums) relatively raw production is a breath of fresh air from the cleaner tones of their later stuff. But obviously I can't get fully on board with the vocals; I don't find Jesse Leach to be completely unlistenable, but I can only deal with him in small doses. But he's a huge reason why the metalcore vocal style in general just isn't my thing. Overall, this is probably a good album for metalcore fans, but for me it's a "just about tolerable" kind of affair. 95% of metalcore sounds horrid to me, so I guess that's a complement?

Funnily enough, I still wasn't completely done with Killswitch Engage after obtaining this debut and Alive or Just Breathing, 'cos for some reason I also own 2013's Disarm the Descent. I can't remember anything about that album other than the single 'In Due Time'.
Adam's rating: 5/10