Lengthy gaps between albums are becoming quite the custom with Norwegian symphonic black metal act Dimmu Borgir. Not satisfied with the eight-year absence between Abrahadabra and 2018’s Eonian, the band took the same amount of time to write and produce a new record, Grand Serpent Rising (Nuclear Blast Records), before finally unleashing it upon an expectant corpse-painted world.
Photo credit: Stian Andersen
With only guitarist Silenoz (aka Sven Atle Kopperud) remaining from the original 1993 line-up, the only other official member at the moment is vocalist/orchestrator Shagrath (Stian Tomt Thoresen), who joined a couple of years later. This current incarnation is rounded out by former Entombed bassist Victor Brandt, Chrome Division guitarist Kjell “Damage” Karlsen, Geir Bratland on keyboards, and drummer Dariusz Brzozowski (aka Daray) behind the kit.
Themes of rebirth and renewal permeate the album at every labyrinthine turn. Transformation and reawakening, the fulfilment of true potential, and a shedding of skin. Instrumental “Tridentium” opens proceedings, a four-minute intro with strings and orchestration that builds into slow, crushing riffs of cinematic doom. “Ascent” arrives next, bursting with reptilian riffs and inhuman roars. Brzozowski’s drums are nothing short of immense, and you can already hear the song’s “viper spine” refrain filling the air at future live shows.
At just under seven minutes, “As Seen in the Unseen” is the longest track on the album and combines just about everything the band has to offer. Slashing riffs which harken back to the early days swell into dramatic, slower sections, while keyboards and atmospheric choral backing ensure there are more than a few dark melodies at the song’s blackened heart. “The Qryptfarer” follows next, keyboards playing their part while the drums possess that special Scandinavian Black Metal swing.
Driven by a mid-paced Bathory-style riff, the compelling “Ulvgjeld & blodsodel” refers to Norse traditions regarding ancestral debt and bloodline inheritance rights and is unquestionably one of the standout moments of the record. “Repository of Divine Transmutation” is one of the more straightforward cuts on the album as methodically paced riffs grow from a medieval-style intro.
“Slik minnes en alkymist” (or “How an Alchemist Remembers” to non-Norwegians) delivers a moody Scandinavian slow burn with some nice bass work from Brandt and features a main riff that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Storm‘s classic Nordavind album. Strings and slashing guitars work side by side on the slowly devastating “Phantom of the Nemesis” before the pace picks up again for passages of “The Exonerated.” “Recognizant” delivers a deliciously wicked melody among the thrashing guitars and thunderous kick drums, while “At the Precipice of Convergence” is another formidable slab of scrupulously paced black metal with occasional surges of energy and moments of quiet introspection.
Penultimate cut ‘Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions” features fantastic female choral vocals, chunky rhythms and rolling drums, but is outshone by instrumental outro “Gjǫll” with its clean strings and slowly struck power chords, the piece written about the river from Norse mythology that separates the Midgard from Helheim.
A hefty production and a quality mix from Fredrik Nordström allows every instrument room to shine, and Shagrath’s vocals sound sensational. From his familiar croaks to deep, subhuman roars and ominous narration, this has to be one of his finest performances to date.
The orchestrations might have been scaled back a little, but Grand Serpent Rising is still very much a symphonic black metal album with all the necessary bells and whistles. Giving off distinct In Sorte Diaboli vibes during certain songs as well as harking back to their more aggressive earlier years, this is a finely balanced, articulate, and mature continuation of Eonian, and more than worth the eight-year wait.
Buy the album here:
https://amzn.to/4wGEqE7
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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