Great music, the lyrics on the other hand aren't so good. Lyrically these boys are trying WAY too hard to be evil and have crossed the line into the world of lyrical irrelevance. Call me crazy but these songs about Satan just chap my ass. There's little or no poetry or art to their lyrics. And unlike other black metal bands like Darkthrone, Emperor or especially Burzum, the music just doesn't fit the lyrical content. I get the idea that they're praising satan not because they actually believe anthing, but for shock value. And hey if you play black metal you're supposed to sing about satan, how tired. At least when Slayer sings Lucifer's praises they sound convincing.
OK that said, the music on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant absolutely rocks. Its much better than the slight lyrics. Good use of keyboards, which I usually am suspicious of in metal, coupled with aggressive guitar and dynamic song writing. Every song has memorable and oftimes insane riffs and melodies. This is some harmonically interesting and diverse music. There's dissonance, consonance and dynamic tension to be found in every song. "Spellbound by the Devil" (oh crap, more satan) has an excellent use of mournful yet epic keyboards ranging in sound from pipe organ to sampled chorus. There are lots of stops and starts and complex yet engaging shifts in tempo and mood, all in one song.
Dimmu Borgir write some very compelling, dark and yet beautiful music that can really take you out of yourself. I'm not a big fan of symphonic black metal but this is certainly one of the most interesting metal releases of 1997 and well worth getting. Just ditch the satan cliches next time OK?
