by DAN SOUTHALL
LUSH strings introduce the awakening of Dimmu Borgir after another lengthy sleep. Everything this band has ever been great at is here as opener Tridentium builds the cinematic soundscape towards this album’s set of dark tales.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the follow up track gets lost in the bombastic opening with the next discernible track being the throw back As Seen in the Unseen. Here they focus on a menacing mid-pace, letting the guitars take pride of place amongst the usual cacophony of symphony that surrounds your average Dimmu track.
Piano melodies take over in The Qryptfarer as Dimmu Borgir continue telling grand ominous tales in the way only they have succeeded to, reaching a crescendo of sorts on the first half of the Grand Serpent Rising gets to Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel. This one brings back the cinematic sense of scope from the opening of the album, mixing it with some classic metal guitar licks before knuckling down to some kind of dark sermon told in their native tongue.
At this mid point I have realised that a band such as Dimmu Borgir with an album of this grand gesturing could really do with a track by track run down, but let’s be honest you are possibly reading this instead of working, so I’ll run the highlights so you can get back to it. The first couple of listen throughs I was distracted just enough that the second half of Grand Serpent Rising passed by more as background noise, struggling to hold my attention.
This isn’t to say this half album isn’t without moments of grandeur, with brilliant solos peppered throughout nearly every track. The added choral moments on ‘Slik Minnes en Alkymist’ add just the right amount of Gothic majesty, again combined with lyrics sung in Norwegian, constructing a track akin to the reading of some ancient text you merely have the privilege of hearing. It becomes so jam packed with ideas that are all quality, this could have been split into two albums worth of material so the ears didn’t get tired and the mind didn’t look for reason to wander.
This is an album that needs to be listened to in healthy Gothic sized chunks of splendour (easily split into 35mins halves), lest let the darkness envelop you.
