Dimmu Borgir - Stormblåst

This was probably the first black metal album I bought, and I feel in love with it back in the day. Probably the one reason I still listen to it with something akin to regularity is that at that point in time, Dimmu Borgir were doing something new and interesting. Not to say there weren't other so-called "symphonic black metal" acts out there, but there wasn't the profusion of uninspired ones trying to rip off the sound of a few.

Musically, this sort of metal always appealed to me more than some of the more typical Emperor-esque clones. While those bands have their place, they bore me after a few spins, for the most part. Dimmu played a moderately paced, more atmospheric style, without having yet gone over the top, and starting to stray from the metal roots that originally appealed to me. The first few songs, up to around track 7 retain a very melodic feeling, and from track 8 until the end of the record, they play more traditional black metal.

Perhaps the part about this that appeals to me most is the sense of energy and heart-felt belief I get out of these songs. It sounds as if these guys were loving every second of it, and put all their energy into this thing.