Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant Reloaded (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Mournful Gothic/Black metal opus

Hater of the Human Race | Under a Serpent Sun in Cincinnati, Ohio | 06/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dimmu Borgir became one of the biggest bands to play this kind of extreme music with this album. First, let me say that I like alot of raw black metal bands but I also like the gothic/black symphonic stuff that Dimmu Borgir plays. Shagrath's vocals are very powerful and are kind of in between a death growl and a tortured black metal scream. The guitar playing on this album is wonderful. It's sometimes fast, but at other times it's very melodic with technical riffs and nice solos. The beautiful keyboards on tracks like "In Death's Embrace" create a very sad atmosphere within the chaos of the music. "Tormentor of Christian Souls" is a very fast and aggressive song that just about any fan of black metal could probably enjoy as the symph is present, but only in moderation. Other standout tracks are "Mourning Palace", "Entrance", and "A Succubus in Rapture". Cradle of Filth fans would probably like Dimmu Borgir. If you already are a fan of Dimmu, i'd like to recommend Mystic Circle, Agathodaimon, Lux Occulta, Sigh, Thy Serpent, Covenant, and Nokturnal Mortum. All great symphonic black metal bands. HAIL DIMMU BORGIR!"

Still the best Dimmu CD

Sam Chronic | Marietta, GA United States | 08/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite the line-up changes which occured after this album and can be deemed nothing else except improvements, this remains my favorite Dimmu release yet. The album has the atmosphere of Stormblast but with better production and all English lyrics except for one of my favorites on the CD; Raabjørn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde, which is the unlisted track 11. The production is also in my opinion much better than the later Spiritual Black Dimensions, while not too polished and overdone.The CD is full of Dimmu classics from Mourning Palace, Spellbound, In Deaths Embrace to Tormentor of Christian Souls and A Succubus in Rapture. The atmosphere of the CD is killer, with the melodic riffing and some of the best keyboard work of it's kind done by former keyboardist Stian Aarstad.Known for being one of those black metal bands that will not blast beat you into the ground, Dimmu Borgir shows their range on this album, going from brutal to melodic and back while not skipping a beat. Defintely a classic not only in the black metal genre but in any musical genre....."

It Grew On Me

Nick Watkins | New Albany, Indiana | 10/05/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This year I was going to see Dimmu Borgir on Ozzfest (and I did), and I already had their "Death Cult Armageddon" and "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" albums, but I rushed out to buy the rest so I would know what songs they would play at Ozzfest. Now I have every album of their's except "For All Tid" and their split EPs with Old Man's Child (of which I think there are two). Well, I didn't really need to buy EVERY Dimmu Borgir CD right away, because the only songs they played were off of "DCA", "PEM" and this. But I'm glad I bought the rest anyway.

So, now, five or six months later, I finally come around to reviewing this particular Dimmu album. Now, when I first heard it, it bored me. I know that a lot of people don't consider Dimmu's new stuff to be half as good as this, but I loved their new stuff (and still do), but I also knew their older stuff didn't sound the same, but I still wasn't sure just HOW it sounded. So I popped this in, listened to the first three tracks, and by track four, I was bored. I took the CD out and shelved it for a while. At first, the songs on black metal albums all sound alike to me and it takes me three or four listens to notice the difference, and reading along with the lyrics really helps me get into it. So, after a while being on my shelf, I decided to take this album down and give it another chance. I read the lyrics along with it, and then I noticed the catchy (yes, I know that's not an appropriate black metal trait) riff at the end of "Mourning Palace". Also, I appreciated the song a lot more after reading the lyrics along it. Shagrath's voice truly sounds hate-filled and mournful when he screechs the "Hear the cries from the Mourning Palace" bit.

So, I listened further. No tracks really stood out to me, though I did enjoy the listen. After a few more listens, I grew to appreciate the tracks "Mourning Palace", "In Death's Embrace", "Entrance" and "Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde" the most. (*I have the deluxe edition of this album, available on Amazon. It has one bonus track, being a re-release of "RSDS" from the "For All Tid" album. The track also appears on the "Godless Savage Garden EP.)

Now, let me make this clear. I don't care what you consider this: real black metal, poser black metal, I don't really give two s*its. To me, there are only two genres of music: good and bad. I consider this bad. Yes, I know the band's image, as well as the whole genre of black metal's image is ludicrous and laughable, not to mention completely unscary, but I don't care about image. It's the music that counts. Music is something that touches you and makes you think. Image is just something to look at. I wouldn't care if Dimmu dressed up like characters from Aladdin, and I also wouldn't care if they dressed up in normal, every day clothing. I would, however, care if I like their music or not.

So now that that's out of the way, I'll continute with my review. The keyboards on this album are pretty dominant; this Dimmu album probably has the most keyboards on it, second to "Stormblast" (I can't compare "For All Tid"). A lot of times, like on "Stormblast", the keyboards overpower the guitar and you can't really hear what the guitar is doing. I'd prefer this not be the case, but I really don't mind, at least I wouldn't if the keyboards didn't have that bizarre effect on them. On this album, the keyboards have an effect that I for a long time thought was a choir or something. It sound like a bunch of monks singing in unison for a mass. I didn't even realize it was keyboards until thinking about it, which was about three months after hearing this CD. That's right, I thought it was an actual choir doing background vocals over the riffs. I would prefer normal sounding keyboards, like on "Stormblast".

The guitar riffs, as I said before, aren't as audible as I'd like them to be due to the keyboards. But I'd say that only happens in 1/5 of the album. When you can hear what the guitars are doing, they either sound really good, or really shoddy. I know a lot of hardcore fans are gonna rip on me for this, but I prefer Galder over Astennu. There's a few solos on here, all good, but I think the shining guitar moment on here is the near-end riff of "Mourning Palace". It's just too damn catchy. The guitars aren't the best in metal, but they're certaintly better than what you'll hear on the new Linkin Park record.

The bass is standard rock / metal bass. You can't really pick out what it's doing, it just makes the music heavier and gives it more a thump. Being a bass player, I'd like to see more bands come out with better bass production, but hey, you can't have everything.

The drumming is also adequite, but again, I think the new guy's better (well, the new guy who was recently fired). Nicholas Barker owns Tjodalv. But anyway, the drums on this, like the bass, are standard metal. Lots of closed hi hat and double bass work. Tjodalv wasn't a bad drummer at all; his drum fills are plentiful and he changes up with the music a lot, which keeps it interesting.

The vocals on this are, well, black-metallish. However, on this recording, Shagrath's voice is a lot more harsh and raspy than on "PEM" and "DCA", where his voice is more sharp and clean, though not normal singing type clean. If you don't like this kind of vocal, you won't find anything to like here.

The lyrics on this album are generic as can be. The words "Satan", "Devil" and the number "666" is everywhere. Luckily Dimmu grew out of this for the most part with newer releases, and I don't really mind the name "Satan" or "666" every now and then, but "Tormentor of Christian Souls"? That's getting out of hand. When the lyrics aren't focusing on evil Satanic stuff, they're pretty interesting, and well written. You won't find standard, every day words on here, which is one thing I love about black metal. You're challenged to get the message, no matter how pseduo-Satanic that message is.

So, should a new Dimmu fan get this? No. You should start with "PEM" or "DCA" like I did, as they are much catchier and way more accessible. And if you're new to black metal, or any form of extreme music, don't give up after one listen. Try reading along with the lyrics, and listening to the songs a few times, and see if they don't grow on you.

Thanks for reading."

Dimmu Borgir triumphs

king_niall | my castle | 06/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most people who like Dimmu Borgir think "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" is their best album. I don't think so. I think the best DB album is not yet made, is still only a promise for the Future Aeons. If I had to point the best DB album so far... hmmm, I think that prize goes to "Spiritual Black Dimensions"."EDT", then, is not the best Dimmu Borgir album ever, but it does have the best DB songs ever -"Mourning Palace", "In Death's Embrace", "Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh", "Entrance" and "Prudence's Fall"; songs that stand among the finest Metal of all time, if you ask me. The sound quality and mix are great for Black Metal standards; clear, but not as polished as to sound `digital'. Unlike "Spiritual Black Dimensions", one can always understand the guitar playing and drumming, not only thanks to the mix, but also because the riffs and rhythms are less complex and elaborate than in "SBD"."Mourning Palace" opens the album, with a low keyboard motif that sounds like the beginning of a sinister waltz. Then the whole band goes off with all their heaviness, keeping the same melody, guitars roaring, Shagrath screaming with his extremely harsh voice and Tjodalv keeping everything in a nice mid-tempo. The second keyboard motif is very beautiful and sounds like something out of an Enya song, like "Caribbean Blue". In the context of a Black Metal song, however, this motif acquires a gloomy resonance. And that, I think, is the quintessence of Black Metal, the thing that separates the genre from Death, Thrash, and all the other branches of Metal: the juxtaposition of mystic, classical beauty and unholy aggression. And nobody does it better than Dimmu and a few other bands. "Mourning Palace" is one of the best DB songs, a work of great majesty and might, something to hear in a huge cathedral, standing in awe."In Death's Embrace" is my favorite DB song. It has a weird structure and style, halfway between a glorious gothic instrumental and a raw old-school song. There are 5 different movements in it. It begins with a galloping rhythm and a simple riff, but with an intricate, beautiful piano theme that repeats itself for one minute, then a little vocal interlude and then the glorious, orchestral part, with a sorrowful piano, very slow rhythm and prolonged chords. This long moment is so sad and grandiose it feels like celestial music. And then, when you think it can't get better, suddenly, a triumphant orchestral fanfare interrupts the elegy and goes off full throttle with more slow drums and long, powerful chords. This moment is the heart of the song, and has so much magnificence it makes me feel I'm levitating. Then again comes the elegiac piano and then a new motif that sounds cheerful, but in a solemn way. The end of the song is a repetition of the first minute, but with vocals, displaying an almost symmetric constitution. I can't start to describe the feelings that this song creates in me. Something so joyful and sad at the same time is beyond description, and still you find in it a Black Metal song that rocks like no other. Absolutely the best."Relinquishment of Spirit and Flesh": it took for me a little time to start loving this song. I am not crazy about raw, fast Black Metal a la Mayhem or Dark Throne, and this is a nod in that direction, as are the next two songs. This is very heavy, and less `commercial' sounding that the first 3 songs. I finally enjoyed it after very attentive listening, for its tight drum work and it sheer evilness and aggression. Nagash plays a cool bass melody near the end."Entrance", "Prudence's Fall" and "A Succubus In Rapture" (that last one is a ballad you wouldn't dedicate to you girlfriend) are my other favorites, using the same formula of heavy riffs and melodic keyboards and mid-tempo drums. While none of them surpass "In Death's Embrace", they're all awesome songs, all true masterpieces of Black Metal.And now the thing I believe doesn't let "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" become the best DB album ever: The inclusion of a very awful, laughable song, "The Night Masquerade". What they were thinking when they recorded this I don't know. Is boring, repetitive, annoying, the lyrics are embarrassing, the female voices and the "Beast" voice are as inept as they can be. I wonder, if DB wanted to stomp out loud with their first Nuclear Blast album, why not, instead of "Masquerade", to include "Moonchild Domain", which appears in the MCD "Godless Savage Garden", a pastiche made of "EDT" recording sessions leftovers? "Moonchild" is a monumental song, and it would have made "Enthrone" a thousand times better. Did Shagrath think "Masquerade" was actually a better song? Was he scared of not pleasing Cannibal Corpse fans with too much softness? Putting that junk in such a classic it's like having a beautiful BMW convertible, and adding, for aesthetic value, deer horns in its front.Well, done is done. "Enthrone", even with that particular mistake, is a classic, and it established Dimmu Borgir as the best Black Metal band ever, and as my favorite band of all time."

True symphonic black metal

A. Stutheit | Denver, CO USA | 05/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dimmu Borgir's third album, "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant," was their first album to feature keyboards. And while this record was coincidently the group's breakthrough, it also brought on legions of haters who claimed Dimmu "sold out." But the truth about "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" is that it's a great black metal album (one of the genre's high points), and also one of Dimmu's most creative releases. The use of Stian's keyboards don't detract from the songs' heaviness, but it does add more depth and atmosphere to the music, making the songs sound fuller and richer. Plus, the use of (what sounds like) a choir, orchestra, and violins adds some extra ear candy and helps a couple of the songs to be quite pretty. But, that's not to give you the wrong impression, because the guitars and drums are still brutal. So, the final result is an album which is quite heavy but also pretty. There are some songs (like the fiery "Mourning Palace") that are just brutal, but most of these songs mix melody with metal. For example, see "In Death's Embrace," which augments piano keys with rapid-fire riffs, and "Entrance" and "A Succubus In Rapture," which are backed by both creepy, chilling piano keys and scorching buzzsaw riffs. Also, the bonus track ("Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde") begins with some choir singing and melodic, almost aquatic instruments before launching into a blistering barrage of power chords and stomping drums. The last two highlights are "The Night Masquerade" and "Master Of Disharmony." Both of these songs could have been lifted from a 1349 or Dark Funeral demo, because they both feature walls of searing guitars, jackhammer drums, and high-pitched, skin crawling shrieks.

If you're looking for melody-deficient black metal, pick up some Mayhem or one of Dimmu's first discs. But if you want a true symphonic black metal album which successfully incorporates beautiful parts with brutal ones, start here."

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