Dimmu_Borgir

Dimmu Borgir   'For All Tid'
Nuclear Blast , 1997
Lord Pale:
Formed with members of the now defunct Fimbulwinter, For All Tid is Dimmu Borgir's debut album ( originally released in 1994 ), the version I have has been remastered and rereleased on Nuclear Blast. The material is slow to mid paced keyboard soaked blackmetal with raspy vocals and an average production. Aldrahn of Dodheimsgard / Zyklon B infamy does a guest vocal spot on track 3 'Over Bleknede Til Dommedag', mainly just in a rasp but also an entertaining stab at clean vocals which I personally find quite amusing. Added to the end of the disc for the collectors ins the bands 7" Ep 'Inn I Evighetens Morke' whose two tracks blend mostly seemlessly with the album material. Overall For All Tid is an average if not interesting release of early symphonic blackmetal but fans of Dimmu Borgir's latter works may find the Norweigan lyrics, fuzzy guitars, and small acoustic breaks reminiscent of 'Born of the Flickering' era Old Man's Child a little unfamiliar.
Favourite Tracks - Den Gjemte Sannhets Hersker , Glittertind , Det Nye Riket
Mark - 5/10

Dimmu Borgir   'Stormblast'
Cacophonous , 1996
Lord Pale:
Stormblast sounds like the natural progression from 'For All Tid' presenting a more epic, less creepy atmosphere with faster, better riffs, and less synth. The keyboards in Stormblast don't constantly drown out the music like it's predecessors did, and are used in a similiar fashion as Satyricon's 'The Shadowthrone'. Having said this however, there is still alot of synth on this disc, and well orchestrated to boot, see 'Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen's' intro. Shagrath has stopped drumming to join Silenoz on guitar and vocals, and Tjodalv takes over percussion dutiesproviding more speed and variation. Stormblast has a superior production job overall than 'For All Tid' and alot of the fuzzy has been lifted from the guitars. The lyrics are still in Norwegian, which are printed in the booklet that looks a little more professional this time around. The vocal delivery still comprises mostly of rasps though with more variation and the occasional deep voiced spoken passage for emphasis. Overall a competent blackmetal album worthy of attention.
Favourite Tracks - Nar Sjelen Hentes Til Helvete , Guds Fortapelse - Apenbaring Av Dommedag , Dodsferd
Mark - 7/10

Dimmu Borgir/Old Man's Child   'Sons Of Satan, Gather For Attack'
Hammerheart , 1999
Lord Pale :
'SOSGFA' is a split disc rerelease of Dimmu Borgir's 'Devils Path' ( 1996 ) and Old Man's Child's 'In The Shades Of Life' ( 1994 ) Ep's. Devils Path contains 4 tracks, 'Master of Disharmony' ( later to appear on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant ), Devils Path, and 2 different cover versions of Celtic Frost's 'Nocturnal Fear'. Overall the two new tracks are alot more agressive than the Stormblast material, even though 'Master of Disharmony' starts with a lengthy synth intro and 'Devils Path' slows down and becomes more melodic after it's furious blastbeat propelled start. There is little difference between the two Celtic Frost cover versions and I don't see why they felt they had to include both, but it is a strong take in either case. The Old Man's Child material is a little older and sports a slightly lower production level. Old Man's Child material is similar to Dimmu Borgir's in a couple of respects ( synth, heavy riffs ) given that they both play mid paced symphonic blackmetal, but both bands remain distinctive and unique. Old Man's Child uses slightly less synth than Dimmu Borgirdo instead concentrating more on guitar melodies similar to the way Immortal does. In The Shades Of Life has a Viking based lyrical theme which see's the utilisation of deep clean vocals as well as Galder's distinctive rasp. The OMC material is well varied and special mention must go to their tasteful use of acoustic passages in their music. A strong release and a clever pairing of classic EPs.
Favourite Tracks - Devils Path , Master Of Disharmony , Seeds Of The Anchient Gods
Mark - 8/10

Dimmu Borgir   'Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'
Nuclear Blast , 1997
Lord Pale :
This is the gem in Dimmu Borgirs crown. Enthrone Darkness Triumphant features English lyrics and a large leap forward in terms of progression. Evil chior synths and piano passages float alongside raging guitars helping forge catchy instantly appealing rhythms. The guitars sound heavier than ever, alternatively blazing or chugging and even playing melodic harmonies. Enthrone Darkness Triumphant main strength is in it's crushing production, everything is both clearly audible as well as heavy and dark as fuck. The percussion has also lifted varying from blast beats to double kicks to more moderate beats to accommodate the new sound. Shagrath is now fully incharge of vocal duties and he sounds better than ever, rasping vemenently one minute then dropping to a throaty growl the next. Dimmu Borgir's line up is as it was on Stormblast except for their bassist Tristan has been replaced by Nagash ( Troll ). This is Dimmu Borgir's strongest albumto date, with excellent artwork capturing the feel of the music. A must have album of Northern blackmetal .
Favourite Tracks - Mourning Palace , A Succubus In Rapture , Entrance
Mark - 9/10

Dimmu Borgir   'Godless Savage Garden'
Nuclear Blast , 1998
Lord Pale :
Dimmu Borgir's new mini cd Godless Savage Garden, contains 2 new tracks, 2 rerecorded tracks, a cover, and 3 live tracks. The new songs 'Moonchild Domain' and 'Chaos Without Prophecy' are both strong and sound like they could have come straight off of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, with heavy riffs, melodic passages and the bands trademark choir synth. The 2 rerecored tracks come originally from For All Tid and have had a touch of agression pumped into them ( along with a few small extra touches and a little tweaking ). This combined with the superior production ( Dimmu's best to date ) make the rerecorded versions far superior to their original counterparts. The cover of Accept's 'Metal Heart' is quite simply brilliant. I must confess I haven't heard the original version but I Dimmu's sound shines alongside the melodic lead sections with droning synth. The live songs are tracks taken from Stormblast and Enthrone Darkness Triumphant and are well executed. Overall a good stop gap with plenty to keep Dimmu fans entertained.
Favourite Tracks - Moonchild Domain , Metal Heart , Chaos Without Prophecy
Mark - 8/10

Dimmu Borgir   'Spiritual Black Dimensions'
Nuclear Blast , 1999
Lord Pale :
Spiritual Black Dimensionsis the last Dimmu Borgir album to feature both Nagash ( Covenant/Troll ) and Australian guitarist Astennu ( Covenant/Lord KAOS ), and the first to introduce new members ICS Vortex ( clean vocals, later to replace Nagash on bass ) and new keyboardist Mystis. At first listen SBD is not as appealing as 'Enthrone Darkness Triumphant', instead its more complex material took a while to grow on me. This I ascribe to the fact that although the song writing is of a higher standard overall than 'EDT', there are no real 'standout' songs, but having said that there are no filler tracks either. What Dimmu Borgir have done is release a solid all round album with enough variation and good enough songs to keep fans like me happy. The production is again a little better this time round although occasionally the synths drown out some of the faster guitar sections. New keyboardist Mystis lays lavish layers of synths all over the music ( trying to make a good impression? ), and adds more of his own style to this album. ICS Vortex's ( Borknagar ) clean vocal additions to a few of the tracks are at time dream like and captivating 'The Insight And The Catharsis' and are a welcome new development to Dimmu's sound. Overall a another good release from Norway's premier symphonic blackmetal act.
Favourite Tracks - The Insight And The Catharsis , Reptile , Grotesquery Conceiled
Mark - 8.5/10

Dimmu Borgir   'Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia'
Nuclear Blast , 2001
Lord Pale :
Fucking excellent!!! Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is the result of many years of song writing and a host of talented musicians. Replacing the departed Astennu on guitars is the prolific Galder ( Old Man's Child/Dodheimsgard ) who's own characteristics and style are integrated to the ever expanding Dimmu sound. Having said that 'PEM' is still overtly Dimmu Borgir, and although refined and simplified, they haven't changed thier style in the least so fans won't be dissapointed. 'PEM' is harder, darker and heavier than 'Spiritual Black Dimensions' was, seemingly a return to more 'Enthrone' era material. All the elements of this album from the darker ( more restrained ) keyboards, to the heavy as fuck down tuned guitars, to the exceptional and varied rasping vocals, meld together and form an excellent slab of symphonic black metal. With the help of a 16 piece string outfit Mystis creates his most convincing pieces of music yet. My only gripes are that Vortex seems a little restrained in his vocal contributions, as if they were written in just to incorporate him in some way rather than allowing him to really break out and sing as he did in 'Spiritual Black Dimensions'and that with the return of a few brilliant tracks comes the return of a few fillers to. 'Puritanica' is perhaps the most surprising track of the bunch, starting off with riffs more akin to an early Fear Factory style and some computerized vocals alongside deathy growls and rasps. Overall another fan pleaser.
Favourite Tracks - Kings of the Carnival Creation , Puritanica , Sympozium
Mark - 8.5/10

Dimmu Borgir   �Death Cult Armageddon�
Nuclear Blast , 2003
Lord Pale:
Dimmu Borgir�s 6th full length opus Death Cult Armageddon shows the Norwegians displaying a new depth of song and indeed album writing ability. Unlike a band like Satyricon who after each album it is usually said �it�s a lot more �epic/industrial/rocky� but it�s still Satyricon�, Dimmu Borgir�s progression follows the simple logic of �It�s Dimmu Borgir with the following new elements� so fans of the band should know what to expect. So what�s new this time around then? Well very little actually, a bigger orchestra, an appearance of female vocals, a lot more samples, a slight increase in melodic guitar work, and a guest vocal appearance by the legendary Abbath ( Immortal ). Instead of the usual Dimmu concept of writing a few classics then a few tracks that sound similar but aren�t up to the same standard, Death Cult Armageddon is a solid album to listen to as a whole without any standout masterpieces, just 11 solid tracks ( I still have my favorites mind you ). Overall it must be said that this is definitely Dimmu Borgir�s best album to date, and will likely stand the test of time better as an album than their previous releases.
Favourite Tracks � Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse , Vredesbyrd , Eradication Instncts Defined
Mark � 8.5/10

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