Dimmu Borgir
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997)
TheTommunist
Ok, so the last time I wrote a review for a metal album I was at once burned for A) not giving the album enough credit, B) forgetting that this is Punknews.org, and not Metalnews.org, and C) â¦There was something else, but I forgot what it was. Anywho, following up that review I reviewed something more in line with this website, and there was much rejoicing. So to keep things interesting, and to prove that I didn't learn anything, I humbly submit this, a review for the 1997 Dimmu Borgir album, entitled Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, which just happens to be a metal album. A Black Metal album.
Dimmu Borgir is one of the major acts in the Black Metal scene, and this is their first album sung entirely in English, as opposed to Norweigan. The music is what you would come to expect with Black Metal, fast, brutal, and atmospheric. The heavy use of synthesizers, which are some of the most elegant and competent ones I have heard, creates an air of foreboding darkness. In the opening track, Mourning Palace, the synths invoke images of the Palace's dark corridors emanating dismal gloom. That is, of course, until the brutal drums and guitar smashes the atmosphere. Every track crunches by with some damn brutal riffs and pounding drumbeats. Some songs don't let up for five minutes, and some songs calm things down for piano-like interludes.
The lyrics also evoke dark, gloomy imagery, but with a touch of Satanism thrown in for good measure. I counted at least nine specific references to the devil, excluding a horde more of hinted at references. I mean, who else could they be referring to with the song "Tormentor of Christian Souls"? We also have talk of the previously mentioned tormenting of souls, torture, sex, sodomy, screaming, moaning, pain, death, and all the fun stuff that evil seems to thrive on.
The only problem I have with this album is that the songs are quite long, most being over five minutes long. This allows the band to change the songs up a bit, and in some cases, the transitions do not work too well. Still, this is just a slight problem in a few of the middle songs on an otherwise great album. This album comes in a regular version, and in a deluxe edition, which includes a bonus song (in Norweigan) and a bunch of enhanced stuff for your computer, such as scary live pictures, lyrics, a video clip, and more. If this kind of music is your thing, I highly recommend this album. If this kind of music is not your thing, however, I apologize for you reading this far.