Dimmu Borgir – Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

Back when I was 15 or 16 I had this black metal phase where I listened to Burzum, Mayhem, Cradle Of Filth and yes, Dimmu Borgir. I really can’t remember why anymore because I quickly grew tired of a genre where every band sounds like they’re playing the same song.

Hearing Dimmu Borgir’s “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” for the first time is something I can still recall vividly though. The way they combined sheer brutality with orchestral beauty was something I hadn’t heard done this way before. Sure, they looked like a bunch of friggin’ idiots with their studs, corpse paint and medieval weapons but ah, what sweet music these children of the night make!

Obviously I’m not the only one who thought so which is why the album is now re-released as a part of Nuclear Blast’s Reloaded series. There’s one bonus track which is not all that new because I’m pretty sure it was included as a bonus track on the original digipack version as well. Plus there’s some screensavers and Winamp (how five years ago!) skins but nothing really worth mentioning. That does not mean however that songs like “Spellbound (By The Devil)” or “Entrance” are any less impressive. As my strained neck muscles will testify!
Score: 8.5 out of 10
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http://www.dimmu-borgir.com