Norwegian act Dimmu Borgir was born in 1993, created by Shagrath, Erkekjetter and Tjodalv. The group joined forces with Stian Aarstad & Brynjard Tristan, with which they recorded their first EP, "Inn I Evighetens Morke," containing 2 songs (the titletrack, Part I & Part II), which combined traditional Black Metal with a good deal of other styles, including classical & opera. Dimmu Borgir's first LP, "For All Tid" was released in 1994, followed by "Stormblåst."
1997 saw the light of "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant," the group's best effort & masterpiece. The album wasn't just a generally better production (the quality was much higher than on their previous LPs), Shagrath's new and improved lyrics (now sung in English) were able to make Dimmu Borgir rise from the underground.
"Dimmuborgir" is Icelandic for "Dark Castle/Fortress." It is a type of lava formation near Lake Myvatn in Iceland. According to local legends, it's a gateway to Hell.
Current Band Line-up:
Shagrath - Vocals
Silenoz - Guitars
Galder - Guitars
They currently have no official drummer. Hellhammer was the drummer while they were on tour, but due to an injury in 2007, he was forced to step down. Tony Laureano took over drum duties from there.
In 2009, members ICS Vortex and Mustis independently announced their departure from Dimmu Borgir. Mustis released a statement claiming his disfavor with the band, stating that he was not properly credited for his writing contributions to the band's music, mentioning possibly taking legal action.
Dimmu Borgir soon after confirmed the pair's dismissal from the band, releasing a statement explaining why the two were fired. Shagrath, Silenoz, and Galder wrote, "Funny then, how the new album is halfway finished written already by the rest of us without any of these guys' input, still having all those elements we're known for.
Dimmu Borgir's ninth studio album, Abrahadabra, is allready released worldwide. Silenoz explained that the growing periods of time between albums was because the band had stopped writing music while touring, which was affecting the quality of the music. He described the new album as having an "eerie and haunting feel to it," adding that the material is "epic," "primal," atmospheric and ambient. A promotional image released with the statement showed Shagrath returning to the keyboards. The album will feature an ensemble orchestra, the Kringkastingsorkestret (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra), as well as the Schola Cantorum choir, totaling more than 100 musicians and singers.
On July 8, the band confirmed that they had tapped Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (Therion, Dream Evil) to replace bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex on the band's upcoming album, "Abrahadabra", and world tour. On August 25 it was announced that Snowy Shaw has left Dimmu Borgir to rejoin Therion. On September 17, 2010 Dimmu Borgir released the song "Born Treacherous" from their upcoming album Abrahadabra on their official MySpace page. Then on September 24 the band announced they would stream Abrahadabra in its entirety until 7 p.m. EST that evening. The keyboards and bass are currently played by Brat and Cyrus respectively.
1997 saw the light of "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant," the group's best effort & masterpiece. The album wasn't just a generally better production (the quality was much higher than on their previous LPs), Shagrath's new and improved lyrics (now sung in English) were able to make Dimmu Borgir rise from the underground.
"Dimmuborgir" is Icelandic for "Dark Castle/Fortress." It is a type of lava formation near Lake Myvatn in Iceland. According to local legends, it's a gateway to Hell.
Current Band Line-up:
Shagrath - Vocals
Silenoz - Guitars
Galder - Guitars
They currently have no official drummer. Hellhammer was the drummer while they were on tour, but due to an injury in 2007, he was forced to step down. Tony Laureano took over drum duties from there.
In 2009, members ICS Vortex and Mustis independently announced their departure from Dimmu Borgir. Mustis released a statement claiming his disfavor with the band, stating that he was not properly credited for his writing contributions to the band's music, mentioning possibly taking legal action.
Dimmu Borgir soon after confirmed the pair's dismissal from the band, releasing a statement explaining why the two were fired. Shagrath, Silenoz, and Galder wrote, "Funny then, how the new album is halfway finished written already by the rest of us without any of these guys' input, still having all those elements we're known for.
Dimmu Borgir's ninth studio album, Abrahadabra, is allready released worldwide. Silenoz explained that the growing periods of time between albums was because the band had stopped writing music while touring, which was affecting the quality of the music. He described the new album as having an "eerie and haunting feel to it," adding that the material is "epic," "primal," atmospheric and ambient. A promotional image released with the statement showed Shagrath returning to the keyboards. The album will feature an ensemble orchestra, the Kringkastingsorkestret (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra), as well as the Schola Cantorum choir, totaling more than 100 musicians and singers.
On July 8, the band confirmed that they had tapped Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (Therion, Dream Evil) to replace bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex on the band's upcoming album, "Abrahadabra", and world tour. On August 25 it was announced that Snowy Shaw has left Dimmu Borgir to rejoin Therion. On September 17, 2010 Dimmu Borgir released the song "Born Treacherous" from their upcoming album Abrahadabra on their official MySpace page. Then on September 24 the band announced they would stream Abrahadabra in its entirety until 7 p.m. EST that evening. The keyboards and bass are currently played by Brat and Cyrus respectively.
[a108948]
Yes, it is true that Dimmu Borgir's work has strayed from true black metal. In fact, now I would call them extreme metal. Yes, extreme metal is an umbrella term used to group all sub-genres of (all extreme sub-genres that is) of metal together. For example, extreme metal encompasses death metal, black metal, thrash etc... However, with bands like Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth running about, you cannot just stick one genre on them and call it good. Extreme metal, as a genre tag for a band, would say that the band uses elements from all forms of metal to complete a work of musical art. Now, that is how I see this band. Their more recent albums, In Sorte Dioboli and Death Cult Armageddon, show strong hints of symphonic black metal, while at the same time, bringing in a newer form of almost groove metal. You still hear the stereotypical blast beats and double bass, but you also get clear vocals, smooth guitar work, and an overall elegant feel to certain stages of songs.
Once again, some people will say that this is not real metal and this band is just a bunch of Norwegian posers. To each his own. Those people only go off and listen to the most raw, underground crap that they can find. And hey, that's all fine with me. I've listened to many underground and raw bands before. I remember when Black Funeral sounded like crap (some still say they do). To sum it all up, Dimmu Borgir is one of the best extreme metal bands around today. They attract fans from all over the world and they have sold millions of copies of their albums. Some people say that they have commercialized their music too much, but if the band wants to make money, more power to them. If you enjoy bands around the lines of Ensiferum, Immortal, and Cradle of Filth, you will almost definitely enjoy Dimmu Borgir. (Maybe not ALL of their stuff, but you will find at least one enjoyable song...)