Dimmu Borgir: Death Cult Armageddon

Here at the Sea, we've gotten away from reviewing most death/black-metal bands – per your requests. But every so often, a band in that subgenre releases an album that incorporates progressive elements and packs wider appeal. In Flames, Borknagar, Opeth and Children of Bodom come to mind. So should Dimmu Borgir. Granted, the (sac)religious imagery on Death Cult Armageddon, the Norwegian black metal band's seventh album, may be a bit too much for some listeners. But unless you open the graphically offensive booklet and try to read along with singer Shagrath, you won't understand a damn lyric, anyway.

What makes Dimmu Borgir's melodic malevolence rise about the hellacious heap of its peers is the band's uncanny sense of songwriting. Often eschewing faster-than-thou speed in favor of tempo changes, classical-music influences and songs that actually sound different from each other, these six sons of Satan — maybe the image is all an act, who knows? — sound convincingly brutal and exceedingly musical. Part of the reason for that is because Dimmu Borgir employs a full-time keyboard player that dominates many of these songs. And on Death Cult Armageddon, the 46-piece Prague Philharmonic Orchestra also plays a crucial role in the band's epic sound. Think Rhapsody with extreme (and, frankly, weaker) vocals.

I don't profess to be a black-metal aficionado, nor will I leave this disc anywhere within reach of my young children. (The photos of a bloody Bible, an eyeless naked woman on all fours with a chain around her neck and bare-assed nurses holding long needles could scar them for life.) But judged on sheer musical merit with an open mind, Death Cult Armageddon impresses.

Added: October 23rd 2003
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Dimmu Borgir Web Site
Hits: 4140
Language: english

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