Send "Dimmu Borgir " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 When you’re easily the biggest band on your record label and one of the most popular metal bands in the world, who could blame you for trying to do whatever the hell you wanted? In Dimmu Borgir’s case, the Norwegian band has been experiencing a massive upswing in popularity over the last decade thanks to some very shrewd ideas: their bastardized take on black metal is a lot simpler than the more traditional sounds of the genre, the production is not so much clean as it is lavish, albums arrive riding a massive wave of hype, they tour relentlessly all over the world, and best of all, they have a garish image that plays up the “evil” and “Satanic” look to a wonderfully cartoonish degree. Purists love to slam the band for offering such a stylistically lightweight take on a sound that’s supposed to be extreme, but Dimmu Borgir has rightfully earned their huge fanbase by working hard over the last 17-odd years, not to mention the opportunity to take their music as far in any direction as it can go.Still, it is quite a surprise to discover that the route they’re taking on their ninth studio album is a highly orchestral one. Not that they’re strangers to the symphonic side of black metal – they practically invented it – as 2003’s astounding Death Cult Armageddon married both styles of music brilliantly, but the curiously named Abrahadabra finds the band veering so far away from their black metal roots that it’s bound to be the most polarizing title in what’s already a much argued-over discography. In fact, this sounds closer to symphonic metal greats Therion than the Dimmu Borgir everyone has grown accustomed to. As far as the “metal” side of Abrahadabra‘s symphonic metal goes, we could see its streamlined, diluted sound coming well in advance. 2007’s In Sorte Diaboli saw the core members of vocalist Stian “Shagrath” Thoresen, guitarist Sven Atle “Silenoz” Kopperud, and guitarist Tom Rune “Galder” Andersen eschewing the speed and aesthetics of black metal in favor of much simpler riffs, and although it was a far cry from such classics as “Spellbound (by the Devil)” or “Vredysbyrd”, when taken as a straightforward heavy metal album and not worrying about genre specifics, the album worked nicely. Abrahadabra, on the other hand, is structurally so much simpler that for a great deal of the record it’s actually up to orchestral arranger Gaute Storås to add the bombastic, complex sounds while the rest of the band performs in a rather workmanlike (some skeptics might say lazy) fashion. A good example is the lead single “Gateways”, which places so much emphasis on orchestration and choirs that we can barely hear the actual band itself....full text |
| Angrymetalguy |
| It’s that time again! Dimmu Borgir is releasing a new album. It’s been a while, actually, and after having a scruff in the media with former keyboardist Mustis and having the mighty vocalist and for show bassist Simen Hestnæs leave the band (to the joy of Arcturus and Borknagar fans), there was actually a bit of anticipation to see what would happen with this album. I, like many, believed what Mustis said about writing all the music in the band and not getting the credit he deserved—and Abrahadabra proves that I think—but instead of being an indictment of the band, it may have been an idictment of Mustis’ writing. I have to be honest with you, though, I haven’t been interested in a new Dimmu Borgir since Puritanical Euphoric Pretentiousness was released in 2001. While I saw the band live on that tour, I was just generally unimpressed with the record. This was followed up by the even more mediocre Death Cult Armageddon, a re-release of Stormblåst (that admittedly I never heard) and 2007′s In Sorte Diabli a record that in spite of the size of Shagrath’s headpiece, wasn’t at all interesting (thought the imagery was really the height of their promotional strength). These records have just been getting more and more stale and uninspired, to the point where the only reason I was going to check out anything that had to do with Dimmu Borgir was that they had a devil shooting fire out of his/her head on their mightily designed webpage (sadly, said devil is now gone). So when I first got Abrahadabra I was pretty much expecting another steaming pile of shit, but this time sans their excellent vocalist and the guy who’d been doing all their orchestral programming and writing (if you believe him). Of course, two things may haveslipped my attention—first off, Galder is in the band and his Old Man’s Child records have riffs upon riffs upon riffs that rule. And secondly, Dimmu Borgir is Dimmu Borgir, they’ve got the money to hire people to make their orchestral stuff not suck—and not suck it does. So instead of being a heaping pile of evil shit, this record has some pretty awesome stuff on it....full text |
| Heavymetal |
| Dimmu Borgir has had a lot of upheaval in the three years since their last CD. Longtime members I.C.S. Vortex (bass/clean vocals) and Mustis (keyboards) departed from the band in 2009. The remaining core of Dimmu Borgir: Shagrath (vocals), Silenoz (guitar) and Galder (guitar) along with drummer Daray were on board for the recording of Abrahadabra. Snowy Shaw was tapped to replace Vortex, but returned to Therion after the recording of the album. The sound of Dimmu Borgir has grown more symphonic and grandiose over the years, and that's definitely the case on Abrahadabra. They recruited the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and Schola Cantorum Choir for an epic and majestic sound, with the orchestral elements dominating the album. The danger of so much emphasis on the arrangements is that the crucial parts of songwriting such as melodies and hooks will be pushed to the background. That does happen periodically, but for the most part Dimmu Borgir balances the meat and potatoes of the song with the atmosphere. In addition to the choral backing vocals and Shagrath's rasps, there are female vocals on “Gateway” and “Rituals,” courtesy of Agnete Kjolsrud (Animal Alpha). They add even more diversity to the proceedings. The song “Dimmu Borgir” is a highlight, an epic and dramatic track that makes full use of the choir and Shagrath utilizes several different vocal styles, from whispers to harsh yells. The album is consistent throughout, with some of the strongest tracks on the second half of the album. “The Demiurge Molecule” gets thrashy in places, and “A Jewel Traced Through Coal” has a darker and more extreme vibe. Things wrap up with “Endings And Continuations,” featuring some clean vocals from Garm (Ulver). No matter what they do, Dimmu Borgir will be a polarizing band. If you're not a fan of their symphonic style, Abrahadabra won't convert you. Those that were disappointed with their last album will be pleasantly surprised by this one, and hardcore fans will be pleased with this ambitious and well-executed effort....full text |
Dimmu Borgir lyrics
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