So, it is so untr00 to like Dimmu Borgir, right? They haven't put out a decent album in years, right? They sold out, remember? They suck!
Disagree.
They haven't been a true black metal band since the Stormblast days, and even that is debatable (I mean, Shagrath had a fucking tophat on in his picture...c'mon!). I even listened to Stormblast after listening to this new album, for comparison's sake. And this band really has changed over the years. Call Dimmu what you want, but it better not be black metal. This album and this band has about as much to do with black metal as ketchup does with ice cream toppings.
I put this new CD into my car stereo after I bought it with hope instead of skepticism. I've not lambasted Dimmu as much as others over the years, because god-dammit, I like this band. I thought In Sorte was awesome, and I was hoping this would be decent, despite the loss of Mustis and ICS Vortex. Well, the former's influence sounds sadly unmissed; however, the lack of Vortex on this album does leave an un-fillable empty hole.
The songs are not as long and meandering as old Dimmu. This is a polished album with 5-minute songs that are very economical and very well paced. This is a sign of good production, and I appreciate it from a band like Dimmu Borgir, who do not need to put together epic piece after epic piece. Shagrath's vocals are standard fare and are high up in the mix, but it fits their sound and it sounds better than ever.
People have cited the weird female vocals on "Gateways;" I don't think it takes too much away from the song. What I find myself doing with this album is remembering the songs, and actually singing along to some parts.
I think the highlight of the album is the song "Dimmu Borgir," which has some damn cool lyrics and a very catchy pseudo-chorus.
Abrahadabra is a well-produced, crisp album with very well written songs and cool arrangements orchestrally. Since Dimmu have been anti-Christian Norwegian stalwarts for so long, they are still associated with a black metal scene that they truly haven't directly participated in in decades. Fuck the fact Hellhammer was in the band recently, he was just doing a job. This is a good metal album, and a worthy follow-up to In Sorte Diaboli. If you're expecting black metal with this one, fuck the hell off and listen to some tr00 shit.
Comments welcomed.
Disagree.
They haven't been a true black metal band since the Stormblast days, and even that is debatable (I mean, Shagrath had a fucking tophat on in his picture...c'mon!). I even listened to Stormblast after listening to this new album, for comparison's sake. And this band really has changed over the years. Call Dimmu what you want, but it better not be black metal. This album and this band has about as much to do with black metal as ketchup does with ice cream toppings.
I put this new CD into my car stereo after I bought it with hope instead of skepticism. I've not lambasted Dimmu as much as others over the years, because god-dammit, I like this band. I thought In Sorte was awesome, and I was hoping this would be decent, despite the loss of Mustis and ICS Vortex. Well, the former's influence sounds sadly unmissed; however, the lack of Vortex on this album does leave an un-fillable empty hole.
The songs are not as long and meandering as old Dimmu. This is a polished album with 5-minute songs that are very economical and very well paced. This is a sign of good production, and I appreciate it from a band like Dimmu Borgir, who do not need to put together epic piece after epic piece. Shagrath's vocals are standard fare and are high up in the mix, but it fits their sound and it sounds better than ever.
People have cited the weird female vocals on "Gateways;" I don't think it takes too much away from the song. What I find myself doing with this album is remembering the songs, and actually singing along to some parts.
I think the highlight of the album is the song "Dimmu Borgir," which has some damn cool lyrics and a very catchy pseudo-chorus.
Abrahadabra is a well-produced, crisp album with very well written songs and cool arrangements orchestrally. Since Dimmu have been anti-Christian Norwegian stalwarts for so long, they are still associated with a black metal scene that they truly haven't directly participated in in decades. Fuck the fact Hellhammer was in the band recently, he was just doing a job. This is a good metal album, and a worthy follow-up to In Sorte Diaboli. If you're expecting black metal with this one, fuck the hell off and listen to some tr00 shit.
Comments welcomed.