Dimmu Borgir
In sorte diaboli
Nuclear Blast
Dimmu Borgir's seventh album is the first black metal album to ever have a number one chart position in any country (number one in Norway). That alone should turn "real" black metal fans off. This is the follow up to "Death cult armageddon", and it would be so easy to shoot down this band as just being black metal for beginners. Well, that is a true statement, however you can't deny the great musicianship and the actual songwriting talent these guys possess. The music is actually a bit heavier than the last few albums and less orcestrated. Shagrath is taking a step forward as a singer and Hellhammer (Mayhem) beats the shit out of the drums as he should. Black metal or not, it's still entertaining music, but not enough to keep me interested the whole album through.
This concept album takes place in medieval Europe and I can't say I'm very intimate with its story, but the main theme is of a priest's assistant that discovers that he has nothing to do with Christianity, and that his powers are greater than he thought. Not a very frightening story but I would probably love this if I was still in my teens.
- Richard Wilson