Released by: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: May 5th, 2018
Genre: Black Metal
Links: https://www.dimmu-borgir.com/
Line Up:
Shagrath | vocals
Silenoz | guitars
Galder | guitars
Gerlioz | keyboard
Cyrus | bass
Daray | drums
Tracklist:
1. The Unveiling 5:47
2. Interdimensional Summit 4:39
3. ÆTheric 5:27
4. Council of Wolves and Snakes 5:19
5. The Empyrean Phoenix 4:44
6. Lightbringer 6:06
7. I Am Sovereign 6:48
8. Archaic Correspondence 4:55
9. Alpha Aeon Omega 5:18
10. Rite of Passage 5:16
Oslo, Norway’s DIMMU BORGIR return after an eight year gap with their latest full length release titled Eonian. We sat down and gave this album a spin several times and it has definitely been worth the wait. The lyrical theme of the Norwegians’ tenth studio work follows a philosophical concept, dealing with the illusion of time and Luciferian codes.
“Interdimensional Summit” opens begins with an all guns blazing, no wind, bells or frills approach to set the tone of this powerful release. Blast beats from the beginning, this track was the first single released by the band to fans as a limited edition 7″ release available through Nuclear Blast.
“Council of Wolves and Snakes” was the second single released in the hype running up to the album launch and features probably the most experimental track fans will have heard from DIMMU BORGIR so far with tribal chants, female clean vocals and blast beats all in one song. This song has an early DIMMU BORGIR feeling in places while experimenting into the new depths of production.
Speaking about the album to Nuclear Blast Shagrath commented “Eonian represents the illusion of time, everything that is and always has been. For us, it also marks the 25th anniversary of DIMMU BORGIR and the album itself is a tribute to our own history and the Norwegian black metal history”.
“Lightbringer” begins with a catchy riff similar to Satyricon’s The Pentagram Burns -What we mean is there is the Norwegian sound that bands from this area are known for in producing quality riffs and tight drumming from Daray. After the opening riff the song breaks into neck-breaking double bass with Burzum-esque synth effects from Gerlioz which we enjoyed. The faster pace with deadly drumming and a minor tremolo picked riff which reminded us of the Death Cult Armageddon era.
This track is a classic DIMMU BORGIR throughout and there is no room to breathe or escape. There is a haunting chorus with female backing vocals.
Shagrath commented to Nuclear Blast about the diverse sound and influence of the album which we found to be progressive and experimental, “Some of the songs on this album were written in 2012. All of us have our own pre-production studios and just write separately, without too much communication at first. Over a time period of one or two years we collect our ideas and then get together and try to get the best out of the material”, says Shagrath. “Sometimes this can be quite challenging, because we have different tastes and opinions – but that makes it also more interesting for the listener, since we want to create music that makes you feel as if you don’t know what’s behind the next corner.”
“I Am Sovereign” is another fast, in your face track, that reminded us of classic For All Tid, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, and Death Cult Armageddon with the raw sound and texture throughout. The middle of the track has descending tremolo picked guitar parts with heavy pounding drums before breaking back into high tempo double bass to the end. This very dark track has some great low vocals from Shagrath and cinematic soundscapes which reminded us of the bands Live DVD Forces of the Northern Night and their orchestral influences on the DIMMU BORGIR sound.
The album closes with “Rite of Passage” which is an instrumental track. It features reverbed guitars with delay loops and heavy synth playing which is very cinematic and fitting the end the album. Piano sections progress with female vocals and full orchestra bringing the album to a close.
DIMMU BORGIR Eonian is out May 4th through Nuclear Blast. I think that all old and new fans will enjoy picking up this album and attending the bands upcoming shows and Festival appearances starting on June 15th in Montebello, QC – Rockfest. For a full list of dates please see:
http://www.nuclearblast.de/en/label/music/band/tourdates/70921.dimmu-borgir.html
Written by: David Bell
Rating: 9/10
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