Abrahadabra [Import]

In general, when you read reviews on amazon you are here to see the opinions of other people who probably like the same kind of stuff that you do. 99% of the people in the world aren't looking up black metal bands. But amongst our crowd, there are those who hold their musical opinions much higher than anyone else s. This album is an example of that. Look for 1 or 2 star reviews and read on to see why they gave it the low rating. "This is garbage, not true black metal" "Sellouts" "Omg they kicked out my favorite member"
This is called "shallow mindedness."

One thing I always wondered about black metal is... how do you sell out? I mean, the double bass is pounding, the vocals are ridiculously over the top, and the guitars get downright gut-wrenching at times. Even the tamest of black metal or symphonic black metal is an acquired taste. Dimmu Borgir would have to try a lot harder than this to "sellout." I mean don't get me wrong, they aren't playing at a constant heavy pace as much as they use to... but comon. Every band changes, and if they didn't what then? Look at slayer... amazing band, always have been. But they never changed their sound much at all, and to be honest, they are just plain boring now and have been for a long time. Dimmu certainly could have made Puritanical 5 times over, they have the talent. But why? If you wanna hear Puritanical, go listen to it like I do when I want to hear it.

The fact of the matter is, this album sounds pretty damn good 90% of the time. There are a few boring parts, there are parts where you wonder what the hell they were thinking, (aka guest vocals in gateways)and there are some truly masterful parts that show you how incredibly talented these guys are... even without the 2 legends they let go of. As long as Dimmu has Galder and Shag, they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I've been a black metal fan for 7 or 8 years now, and I know that some bathroom recordings are actually some of the best music out there. I love bands such as Emperor, Gorgoroth, Immortal, Fairytale Abuse, etc... I know that there are gems in black metal that shine so bright they'd blind you. But I just can't stand dismissing something because it may be a little slower paced or more polished than what we are use to. Just listen to it and try to accept it a little more, if then you truly don't like it, then why not give real reasons for your low ratings? You guys can go listen to B-side tracks from obscure black metal bands all day long if you want, but don't tell us what we should listen to based on your snobbishness.

I don't think you have anything to worry about, the day a black metal song (even a Dimmu song) is played on a top 40 station, or even a local rock station during regular hours probably won't come for a long, long time. And by then, you'll probably be A.) dead or B.) listening to Michael Jackson's greatest hits. Everyone changes, if you decide to make a drastic change in your life one day, would you want everyone in your life giving you 1 star ratings on your decision? Just give stuff an honest chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.

Just a side note, if you really miss the old Dimmu sound, check out this band/album. The Eternal Suffering - Miasma
This isn't a plug or anything, they aren't widely known, I think they are from Greece, but they know black metal.

This became more of an essay than a review of the album, but it's been building for a long time. This was just the album that made me type it all out. Thanks for your patience.

Dimmu Borgir has a polarizing affect on a lot of people. Black Metal purists hate them with a passion for "selling out" and like any band they have die hard fans as well. Personally, I stand in the middle of all of it. I don't hate them (calling a Black Metal band sell outs seems overwrought to me) but I also like a bunch of Black Metal bands more than them (Emperor/Ihsahn, Enslaved, Immortal, Satyricon to name a few). There has been a lot of hype and controversy around this album - on one hand some people are mad at the fact that ICS Vortex and Mustis were fired and how Mustis was fired (via text message) and on the other hand the band has been hyping this album as ground breaking with the addition of fuller orchestras, choirs and female vocals. After listening to the album it seems to me that all that hype is just that - hype.

I am neither blown away nor disappointed by this album because to my ears as a casual fan of the band their sound hasn't changed incredibily. There are differences sure but not so much that it changes or improves their sound drastically. Dimmu Borgir is a symphonic Black Metal band they don't expand on that on Abrahadabra or stray from it. Just maybe refine it more. This album sounds similar to Cradle Of Filth's Damnation and a Day. An album I have an equal amount of passion for. Which is to say it's alright. After listening to this album 3 times no tracks really stand out nor are there any moments that made me sit up and take notice. But it was enjoyable to listen to all the same.

So if you are a fan of Dimmu Borgir you'll probably like this album. And if you are listening objectively you won't notice the absence of Vortex or Mustis that much. However, I would say that if you are new to Dimmu Borgir and are wanting to check them out that you shouldn't start with this album,Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, Death Cult Armageddon & Enthrone Darkness Triumphant remain their best.

With the departure of two band members, many fans of Dimmu Borgir, including myself, were anxious to hear how the drastic lineup change would impact their sound. Rest assured, the music is a heavy, dark, melodic, and engaging as ever. The lineup change seems to have had no discernible impact, with the exception of ICS Vortex's/Simen's vocals.

The first noticeable feature of this album is the prominence of the orchestra, a welcome change of pace after the back-to-basics keyboard-light approach of their previous release, In Sorte Diaboli. There is even an orchestral version of the lead track, "Gateways," which itself is a pretty good representation of the music and style of this release. The orchestral intro and outro tracks are incredibly well done, but then again, we're talking about Dimmu Borgir -- they seem to be incapable of doing anything less.

Another thing worth noting is that there is a fair amount of experimentation here -- not too little, and not too much. This album is somewhat akin to Death Cult Armageddon, but the orchestral elements play a much greater role, they use female guest vocals, there is a different male clean singer, acoustic guitars, monk-style chanting, a didgeridoo (look it up), and well-placed time changes. The innovations are subtle enough that a casual listener might miss them on a first or second listen, but a more discriminating fan would pick them up and appreciate their greatness.

One of the tracks that really threw me off as a listener was "Dimmu Borgir." It stands out because it is upbeat, triumphant, almost joyous(!), words which almost never, ever come to mind when thinking of how to describe their sound. It's a great track, but it's "unorthodox," more akin to something that the Russian folk metal band Arkona than anything in Dimmu Borgir's extensive catalogue.

The clean singer who replaced ICS Vortex/Simen does not mesh at all stylistically with Dimmu Borgir. To be blunt, he sounds awful. His style would fit better in a power metal band, and his perfomance tarnishes the otherwise flawless "Endings and Continuations." Fortunately, he too has been removed from the band.

To conclude, this is a very solid release that combines what's best about the band's last few albums with some new and interesting elements. Like its predecessor, In Sorte Diaboli, there are no weak tracks that warrant skipping. It may be their best offering since Spiritual Black Dimensions, but only time will tell whether or not that is indeed the case.

Postscript: there is no use of a didgeridoo on this album, it's Hungarian throat singing. The singer on "Endings and Continuations" is the legendary Garm, not the session vocalist they used on other tracks. That said, what I wrote about that track still stands even though I am a huge fan of Garm's work with Arcturus and Ulver.