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Dimmu Borgir: Enthrone darkness triumphant

06/03/14 || cadenz

Together with Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir is the most scorned band in all of black metal. Some even question whether they play black metal at all. Dimmu’s bombastic, orchestral and, for a black metal band, accessible sound has garnered lots and lots of shit in their bathtub, and it all started with 1997’s “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant”.

This album was a clear watershed for the Norwegians, manifested in many concrete ways. Compared to the two preceding albums (“For all tid” (1994) and “Stormblåst” (1996)) “EDT” sports a lot of divergent qualities, like lyrics written in English instead of Norwegian, a more polished and punchy (un-nekro) production courtesy of Abyss Studios & Peter Tägtgren, the album was released on Nuclear Blast (one of the largest metal labels) instead of Cacophonous (a small, more underground label), more death metal-oriented riffage with palm mutes etc. All of these things are considered less TRVE and KVLT, because they are allegedly proof of commercial motives and loss of integrity. I say, eloquently: fuck that shit, this album rocks like a motherfucker. If someone wishes to go mainstream, gain media attention and make a lot of money on their music, black metal with a professional production and English lyrics is, for fuck’s sake, not the way to go. Writing songs for pop artists or doing after-ski gigs with cover bands seems like a more reasonable way of cashing in.

Anyway, “ETD” starts off with what has probably become Dimmu Borgir’s biggest hit: “Mourning Palace”. The simple yet symphonic synth riff that starts off the track has reached iconic status, and showcases in a matter of seconds one of the main fortes of this album: catchy, simple ideas with clever arrangements that really pop out. More examples? Sure. “In Death’s Embrace” has a memorable triplet-feel piano lick; “Tormentor of Christian Souls” sports an über-simple thrash riff that drives the momentum forward; “Master of Disharmony” has clever vocal arrangements throughout the track; hell, all songs have their strong hooks, and that is what sets this album apart from the rest of DB’s discography. The songs are memorable, strong, well-arranged, and still feel fresh 17 years later. With the arrival of Mustis and Nick Barker in ’98 and ’99, respectively, the material became more complex and lost its immediacy, and for me this is clearly the best album Shagrath & co have released thus far.

The name of the game here is symphonic black metal with tints of death, thrash and heavy metal. Aggressive blasts, energetic two-beats, epic mid-tempos and some highly effective heavy stomping riffage give the songs good variation. Shagrath’s vocals are his trademark screams that suit the songs and blasphemic lyrics well. Tjodalv’s drumming is very matter-of-fact and no-frills, he doesn’t stray very far from his assigned beats and plays only generic fills. This kind of “unpersonal” drumming lays down a working foundation for the songs, and moves the focal point to the riffs and vocals. Too much can easily become too much, and this kind of streamlining is what makes the guitar, synth and vocal hooks pop to the forefront. Effective arranging is what it’s called, or possibly a “kill your darlings” mindset.

Emperor’s “In the Nightside Eclipse” was the forefather, the album that created the blueprint for symphonic black metal with synths in a major role, and “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” is one of the crown princes carrying on the legacy and taking another step in the style’s evolution. That it became such a commercial success is, in my opinion, the result of both luck and skill. Luck, in that the timing was perfect: the second wave black metal boom that exploded following the exploits of Mayhem, Burzum etc peaked, the internet started to infest every household, and the more polished and synth-heavy sound was probably more accessible than the a-goat-screaming-and-stomping-hooves-on-top-of-some-snake-hissing production of Burzum and Darkthrone (which is of course, awesome, don’t get me wrong), making this album the one to promote to your newly found online friends that share your fascination of the music that comes from the minds of church burners in the land of ice and snow. And skill, as in song-writing, arranging and performing skills.

Well, no matter if you like this album or not, you can’t deny its impact on the black metal scene – for good or for bad. It became a flagship for the genre in the media, exposing the ideology etc for thousands of new people, and for a scene that prides itself in weeding out the weak, that can only be a good thing, right? Whether you agree or not, you can still enjoy this album for what it is – a high-quality black metal album with lots of energy, good arrangements and strong hooks. Who cares if it’s KVLT? Grow up already.

Information
Released: 1997
Label: Nuclear Blast
Website: www.dimmu-borgir.com
Band
Shagrath: lead vocals, lead guitars
Erkekjetter Silenoz: rhythm guitars, lead vocals (track 11)
Nagash: bass, backing vocals
Stian Aarstad: keyboards, piano
Tjodalv: drums, percussion
Bente Engen: female vocals (track 5)

Tracklist
01. Mourning Palace
02. Spellbound (By the Devil)
03. In Death’s Embrace
04. Relinquishment of Spirit and Flesh
05. The Night Masquerade
06. Tormentor of Christian Souls
07. Entrance
08. Master of Disharmony
09. Prudence’s Fall
10. A Succubus in Rapture
11. Raabjørn speiler Draugheimens skodde

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