dimmu borgir

Dimmu Borgir (pronunciation (help·info)) (pronounced "Dih-moo bore-gear" or "Dee-moo bore-gir") is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band whose music has been very popular in several Scandinavian countries and Germany. "Dimmu Borgir" means "Dark Citadel/Castle/Fortress" in Icelandic, and is actually the name of an area of lava formations close to Mývatn, a lake in Iceland.

Biography

Dimmu Borgir was originally founded in 1993 by Shagrath, Silenoz, and Tjodalv. The band released an EP entitled Inn I Evighetens Mørke (1994) translated to English the title means "Into The Darkness of Eternity". This short EP sold out within weeks, and the band followed up with the full length album For All Tid (1994). This album featured musical contributions by members of Dødheimsgard and Ved Buens Ende. Interestingly enough, Shagrath played drums with Tjodalv on guitar and Erkekjetter (translating "arch heretic") Silenoz covering vocals. This lineup changed before the release of Stormblåst (translates to "Storm Blown") on Cacophonous Records in 1996. Stormblåst received high praise from many melodic black metal fans, and is often regarded as a highlight of the band's career. It is also the last album which features all lyrics written and sung in Norwegian.

After Stormblåst, Dimmu Borgir's career took a sharp turn. Keyboardist Stian Aarstad left the band due to his obligation to serve in the Norwegian army, thus he was not able to participate in the recording of Devil's Path (1996). That period was also marked by the leave of their bassist Brynjard Tristan and the arrival of Nagash. Stian Aarstad returned for the recording of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997). On the tour to support the album he had trouble attending rehearsals and tour dates, and he was fired from the band. Enthrone Darkness Triumphant was a huge success for the band, and it was their first release signed to the famous German record label Nuclear Blast. It was recorded in the Abyss Studios, owned by Hypocrisy's mainman Peter Tägtgren.

After the tour for Enthrone Darkness Triumphant the band recruited new members Mustis on keyboards and Astennu on second guitar so that Shagrath could concentrate on vocals.

Dimmu Borgir's following full-length albums Spiritual Black Dimensions (1999) and Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) both met critical acclaim. Some fans accused the band of "selling out" due to the mass audiences which the albums reached.

Despite regular video play on MTV2 and Fuse TV that their follow-up album would receive, the band has stated that they are not "commercially-oriented," and instead, they simply wish to spread their message to more people. In 2003, Dimmu Borgir used their major record label financial leverage to create a monumental album titled Death Cult Armageddon. Sections of the album were recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to enhance the classical arrangements which have always augmented the band's style.

In 2005, the band did a complete re-recording of the Stormblåst album, featuring Hellhammer of Mayhem fame as the session drummer.

Recently on their website, it was announced that Dimmu Borgir have begun working on their follow up to Death Cult Armageddon.

Discography

Studio Releases

• Inn I Evighetens Mørke [EP] - (1994)
• For All Tid - (1994) (Reis. 1997)
• Stormblåst - (1996)
• Devil's Path [EP] - (1996)
• Enthrone Darkness Triumphant - (1997) (Reis. 2002)
• Spiritual Black Dimensions - (1999) (Reis. 2004)
• Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia - (2001)
• Death Cult Armageddon - (2003)
• Stormblåst (re-recorded) - (2005)

Live and other releases

• Live & plugged vol.2 [Live VHS w/ Dissection] - (1997)
• Godless Savage Garden [EP] - (1998)
• Alive in Torment [Live] - (2001)
• World Misanthropy [DVD/VHS] - (2002)
• World Misanthropy [Live] - (2002)
• Sons of Satan Gather for Attack [Compilation w/ Old Man's Child] - (1999) (Reis. 2004)
• Ozzfest 2004 Live in San Antonio [Bonus disc with Stormblast 2005 issue]
• Spiritual Darkness Alive in Europe [ rare bootleg ]

Lineup

Current members

• Shagrath (Stian Thoresen) – Vocals (1993–)
• Silenoz (Sven Atle Kopperud) – Guitar (1993–)
• Mustis (Øyvind Mustaparta) – Keyboard (1998–)
• ICS Vortex (Simen Hestnæs) – Bass Guitar, Clean Vocals (1999–)
• Galder (Thomas Rune Andersen) – Lead Guitar (2000–)
• Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) – Session Drums (2005-)

Former members

• Stian Aarstad – Keyboard (1993–1997)
• Tjodalv (Kenneth Åkesson) – Drums (1993–1999)
• Brynjard Tristan – Bass (1994–1996)
• Nagash (Stian Arnesen) – Bass (1996–1999)
• Kimberly Goss - Keyboard (1997-1998)
• Astennu (Jamie Stinson) – Guitar (1997–1999)
• Aggressor (Carl-Michael Eide) – Drums (Live) (1997)
• Nicholas Barker – Drums (1999–2004)
• Reno Kiilerich – Drums (Live) (2004)
• Tony Laureano – Drums (Live) (2004–2005)

Trivia

• "Sorgens Kammer" (Means The Chamber of Sorrow in Norwegian) is a cover of a song taken from an Amiga game called Agony. Stian Aarstad used the melody, but did not tell anyone about it. The band always thought it was their own song until the original composer contacted them. Because of this, they removed the song from the 2005 version of Stormblåst. It was replaced by a previously unreleased track called "Sorgens Kammer - del II"

• The guitar solo from the song "Metal Heart", originally by Accept is a rhapsody of the main theme of Beethoven's Für Elise

• In C.S. Lewis' famous book Narnia; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, a demon named Silenoz is mentioned at the back of an autobiographical book in Mr. Tumnus' house.

• Many metal/guitar enthusiasts do not realize the fact that Dimmu Borgir uses mainly standard guitar tuning. Following the release of Death Cult Armageddon, the band's guitarists were interviewed by the major guitar publication "Guitar World". In that interview, the guitarists stated that they mainly used standard 6 string tuning (otherwise known as the "E tuning"). The guitarists also stated they used standard 7 string guitars, but rarely. They also stated that the heaviness of riffs and guitar/bass parts of their songs is attributed to the fact that they are using a dual-guitar setup and that both of them use "special" types of power chords to make those parts sound heavier and more aggressive. The special powerchords are simply a normal powerchord, except the middle note, the dominant, is down two semitones or frets, known as a second inversion.

• Shagrath and Galder of Dimmu Borgir also collaborated with childhood friend and Norwegian rapper Diaz in 2003. The song is titled "Mitt Terningkast", and was included on Diaz's "Velkommen Hjem Andres" album.

External links

Official Website

• Dimmu Borgir
• Dimmu Borgir NL
• Dimmu Borgir Fanpage