Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (CD - 1997)

Dimmu Borgir: Shagrath (vocals, guitar); Erkekjetter Silenoz (guitar); Stian Aarstad (piano, synthesizer); Nagash (bass); Tjodalv (drums, percussion).

Recorded at Abyss Studios, Sweden in January 1997.

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.

Personnel: Shagrath (vocals, guitar); Stian Aarstad (piano, synthesizer).

Audio Mixer: Peter Tägtgren.

Recording information: Abyss Studios, Sweden (01/1997).

Norwegian black metal doesn't get much more sweepingly epic than Dimmu Borgir's third LP, 1997's ENTHRONE DARKNESS TRIUMPHANT. While many black metal acts are strait-jacketed by genre orthodoxy, Dimmu Borgir took the opportunity to spread their dark wings, even abandoning their native Norwegian to write and record the album in English. The sound is far removed from the humble scrappy early black metal of Venom and their ilk, as ENTHRONE DARKNESS TRIUMPHANT unfolds with all the weight and grandeur of finely composed classical music. That's not to say it isn't brutal; in fact, the sheer size and power of the music remains dizzying. "Tormentor of Christian Souls" is a veritable ice storm of scouring guitars and pounding drums, with monolithic keyboards adding to the thickening atmosphere, while the stately, funereal "A Succubus in Rapture" weaves a cobweb of fetid gloom.

One of the most important Scandinavian metal discs ever, Dimmu Borgir's Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is the group's unquestioned masterpiece. The success of the 1997 offering is probably due to two facts: the band's signing to metal powerhouse label Nuclear Blast and the decision to write their lyrics in English, the universal language of metal. Having Peter Tagtgren man the recording console wasn't a bad decision, either. The producer assisted Dimmu Borgir in creating the most crushing sound of their career. It's difficult to pick standout cuts from Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, as each song is as brutal and musical as the next. The intensity simply never lets up on this release. Fans of Dimmu Borgir and black metal in general are highly encouraged to obtain a copy of this seminal record at the earliest opportunity. ~ Vincent Jeffries minimize