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Imagine yourself in a dark alley, confronted by five hulking figures
decked in black leather with metal spikes flowing from their tight
pants, sporting upside-down crosses around their necks, and wielding
medieval maces and pikes. Lucky you, you’ve happened upon Norway’s
newest melodic Black Metal sensation!
That’s right, the Nordic zest for death and destruction did
not die out with the Vikings, but is apparently as vibrant as ever,
as the band Dimmu Borgir illustrates in their carefully constructed
appearance and self-important, gruesome lyrics.
Indeed, even the members’ names carry a dark and sinister undertone.
There’s Shagrath on vocals and Silenoz on guitar, whom are the
veterans of the group, the Lennon/McCartney, if you will, of the band.
We mustn’t forget Galder on rhythm guitar, Mustis on synthesizer,
and Vortex on bass and backup vocals, newer additions to the group,
but nonetheless essential. The less ominously named Brit Nicholas
Barker plays drums.
Dubbing themselves as “the Norwegian keepers of hell,”
Dimmu Borgir follows up such releases as “Puritanical Euphoric
Misanthropia” and “Stormbläst” with their new
album called “Death Cult Armageddon.” The band tried with
their utmost satanic fervor to widen their musical horizons, working
with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague to add a more elevated aspect
to their frenzied, speed metal sound.
Unfortunately, the strings of the orchestra only slightly shift the
overall feeling of ridiculousness that marks the entire album. When
the orchestration is present, it sounds more like a bad action movie
soundtrack than any music of Wagner or Dvorak, who they cite as influences
on their Web site. When the orchestration isn’t present, however,
and it’s simply the Dimmu Borgir kids rocking out, one is more
inclined to giggle at the overkill of it all than to join the ranks
of any satanic death cult. The music too often sounds like a bad mix
of artists, such as Rob Zombie, Pantera, and Anthrax, than an original
take on the genre.
The presence of the underworld in music is not a phenomenon limited
to the genre of heavy metal, nor is the question of an evil influence
on musicians a recent one. For example, the 19th century violinist,
Niccolo Paganini, possessed such a prowess for his instrument and
gave such jaw-dropping performances that he was reputed to have made
a deal with the devil in exchange for his skill. The tale of blues
guitarist Robert Johnson and his trip to the Mississippi crossroads
to make a pact with the devil has worked its way into the very mythology
of the genre.
In these cases, it was the sheer skill, the inexplicable virtuosity
of the musician that created such tales. These were stories rooted
in the wonder, in the amazement, even in the fear of the audience
in the face of such musical ability. For Dimmu Borgir, however, the
creation of such an ominous aura is much more forced, much less genuine.
Not that the members have wasted any effort in trying to create such
an appearance. As for the tunes, ominously grunted lyrics that predict
an impending apocalypse and heavily distorted power chords reinforce
the band’s devotion to damnation.
Yet, it all seems so orchestrated, and it’s hard to shake the
impression that one has entered a bad haunted house at a local mall.
Here, it’s the image that’s more important than the music,
but in this case, the image is just too laughable to take seriously.
Dimmu Borgir scares audiences Dec. 4 at the Ogden Theater, 935
E. Colfax, Denver. Doors at 7 p.m. Advance tickets $20. Tickets day
of show $22. Info at www.NIPP.com
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