Released on: 4th May 2018
Eonian is not a return to form.
Dimmu Borgir have produced such a popular and memorable catalogue that they have not needed to release anything new since 2010s’ Abrahadabra. Despite Abrahadabra not being, for want of a better term, unique their previous albums were full of fear and wonder. However if there is one thing that holds true in black metal it is that the bands have no fans. They have got customers and they must serve brutality or get the fuck off. Why then did Dimmu go and focus on the orchestration in their ninth album and not dredge out yet another riff-centric album, like all the other boys.
Because they are fucking quality musicians that do not need no validation.
Tenth studio album is solid. Capturing raw emotion in their innovative music and dancing with it Dimmu Borgir have taken the time to consider how this album is developed and created a black metal marvel that sounds fresh and deeply colourful. That is all you need to know, but for the sake of a word count let us reason why it is an impenetrable monolith in the bands nearly quarter of a century career.
Constraints – black metal is notorious for its dogmatism. The irony, especially when considering the second wave Norwegian stuff, is almost too much to balk at, but there you have it. The idea of true black metal is and will forever be a hypocritical joke. Dimmu Borgir originally challenged the notion of bestial pragmatism in their flagrant use of keyboards and a preference for crafting moods. These components have evolved with the group and continue to bleed into the bands’ best compositions.
Riffs – there are two eras of Dimmu Borgir. Pre-Galder and Post-Galder. And since a new Old Man’s Child album is about as likely to drop as a Nuns’ panties in a house of God (bad Zoot!) the best of both projects can now be found solely in Dimmu Borgir. The guitar work is brilliant and complimentary to the rest of the composition which gleefully heralds for Shagraths’ insightful lyrics.
New experiences or a flare for fresh sounds – you listen to the debut album For All Tid and you have got some seriously alien synths and effects going on that are only part of what make their songs so interesting and powerful. It is a tradition that has continued to define all future Dimmu albums. And so by not pandering to a ludite market they’ve harnessed technological magic to form a phonograph of the bands’ spirit. This is prevalent on Eonian.
Eonian is not a return to form. It is the legacy of Dimmu Borgir finally realized.
9/10
