In Sorte Diaboli

Nuclear Blast

The latest release from Norway’s leading Black Metal act Dimmu Borgir is due to arrive in North American stores on April 24th, and judging by the early response that the album has received, it is looking to be their most crowning achievement to date. While many choose not to view Dimmu Borgir as a purely Black Metal institution any longer - the band themselves in agreement - that particular side of their music is still at the core of their existence and continues to push the envelope of acceptance within the Metal communities and society in general. That said, whether or not the band actually care if the world ever chooses to embrace them or their music is beside the point, as they have managed to survive for more than a decade now and show no signs of falter in the foreseeable future.

In Sorte Diaboli marks the band’s first attempt at a full-scale concept album. Seen through the eyes of a Catholic monk during the invasion of Norway by England, the monk begins to question his faith after committing unspeakable atrocities in the name of God. Straying from the bath of so-called righteousness he finds new life by indulging in that which he stood against for so many years. Musically In Sorte Diaboli follows suit with the band’s last release, Death Cult Armageddon, relying again on heavily symphonic orchestration fused with a fiery Metal guitar assault and massive blast beats. New drummer Hellhammer, who beat the skins for the band’s 2005 re-recording of their 1996 album, Stormblast, returns with a dedicated talent brought to the table. Guitarist’s Silenoz and Galder trade riffs and leads with passion and precision throughout the CD while the sinister sounding vocals of frontman Shagrath are as decisively decadent as ever and play well in contrast to bassist Vortex’s hauntingly dark clean vocal. While at first listen I was a bit apprehensive in my consideration of this CD, I have to admit that there are many aspects to the album that will undoubtedly appeal to the majority of Dimmu Borgir’s fan base as well as open new doors for them to further their domination of the Metal realms. Tapping once again the talents of producer extraordinaire Fredrik Nordström (Opeth, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil) the band have proven to outdo themselves in their endeavors. The first single and subsequent video, “The Serpentine Offering”, sets the pace of the CD but does not define it by any means. Beginning with its film score-like intro the beautifully dark orchestration puts in motion an irresistible conveying of unholy fury to which no one in the Black Metal realms has attained thus far. Songs such as “The Conspiracy Unfolds”, “The Sinister Awakening”, “The Foreshadowing Furnace” and “The Sacreligious Scorn” all stand strong on their own, making In Sorte Diaboli the most powerful Metal album of the year.

The genre of Black Metal has come far since its inception and will unquestionably continue to thrive and evolve. While I am a huge fan of Dimmu Borgir’s music I still feel the need to point out that their crusade to undermine the Christian faith is the only point of contention that may be held in contempt, ultimately destroying their ability to transcend the years that lie ahead. As their music has evolved and garnered attention from the mainstream, their lyrical content has surpassed the point of stating a philosophy and developed into an obsession it seems. The band find it difficult to call themselves Black Metal anymore but still limit themselves in what they have to say. I personally would like to see them evolve past this as well. This isn’t to say that they can’t be every bit as evil as they have been in the past, I just think that they need to find new ways of expressing their life thoughts without being so obvious. The bible gives reference to Satan being incredibly clever but I find the constant anti-Christian sentiment of the band’s lyrical content to be lacking in intelligence. Not wanting to end on a sour note, In Sorte Diaboli is a massive accomplishment and well deserving of praise.

~Priest