Review Summary: An important relic of the Norwegian Black Metal canon. The imagery: an emerald glacier being ground into quartz, including military marches. Distinctive.
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This following review is unbiased, and unpolluted with the stench of the internet, the far stenches of criticism. To put it simply, it reviews the album, as it is. It does not review Dimmu Borgir from two viewpoints:
1) The typical internet user or critic that sees the overt theatrics of bands as Dimmu Borgir as something to laugh at, poke fun, and degrade the band for.
2) The elitist, or, the worshiper of black metal, the biased opinion that only downs ABSU or the rare tape of Graveland he found in Warzsaw, Poland. In his biased opinion Dimmu Borgir is, "the highlight of cheese, the "successful" traitor band that is found in Hot Topic's across North America".
In other words, this review and reviewer wishes to judge EDT on its artistic merit alone.
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Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is a byproduct of the Norwegian scene. Whereas it wishes to portray bits of Satanism, the occult, and Emperor from their first two albums, it still sticks out. It's a falcon that has left its nest. Dimmu Borgir have finally learned to soar away from their previous habitation, even if the previous endeavor, "Stormblåst," is their quintessential album, only flawed by its cardboard production.
The production of EDT, while not thick and modern, has a highly glossed sound. When I think of European metal production in the late 90s, I think of this album. The keys probably crafted from a Korg Triton are slightly in the forefront, the guitars are halfway between raw and smooth, and the bass is moody and nostalgic. In other words, it parades itself. The instruments are separated professionally, yet it has the fragrant atmosphere of first wave Black Metal.
Here, Shagrath has replaced Silenoz in vocals. His shouts define the band. They are vitriolic and full. To put it short: distinctive vocals with a certain grinding quality.
Although accentuated by the album art, the album retains a green fragrance. It tastes of quartz, like hidden rocks formed in underground chasms. The feeling of a glacier full of amonia being grinded comes from this combination: Shagrath's vocals, and the production/style of the drums performed by Tjodalv. The blast beats, and whipping echo effect of the production make the drums puncture the delicious mix.
Their are two more essences. One, the highly stylized form of Satanism. We can hear Shagrath belt out his hate like shiny blisters, "I could drag you to my chambers, And strip you naked in darkness, I could pull your fingernails out one by one," and then later we are taken on sojourns, long voyages to regions in hell, "Soul on departure six six six, Onward onto another existence, A trip far beyond all pleasant dreams
A voyage through desolation sights." Although overbearing and oftentimes silly, Satan is portrayed in a more poetic light then the thousand of copycats who arose after 1997.
The third essence is the unnerving sense of war, a militaristic feel. The strings introducing Mourning Palace, the string interlude of In Death's Embrace and the ending to the Night's Masquerade. It seems to broach a feeling of wartime existentialism, an image of soldiers being torn by artillery.
The frosting on the cake is that EDT retains a shroud of mist. It retains a mysterious quality that recalls the champions of First Wave black metal.
The .5 that is missing from the final score is due to this: it hasn't reached the heights of Burzum's Hvis Lysset Tar Oss, or even their rivals album, "Cruelty and the Beast". Moments in songs like the Mourning Palace, Entrance, Spellbound, and In Death's Embrace topple every other song on the market except perhaps Mother North, but at other times, moments in Relinquishment of Spirit And Flesh, or Tormentor of Christian Souls feel lazy, and malformed. It is unfortunate that in these malformed songs, Dimmu Borgir resorts to raw riffs with pure blast beats.
EDT along with Satyricon's, "Nemesis Divina," Immortal's, "At the Heart of Winter," and Mayhem's, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas," are highly recommended for a definition of mid/late Black Metal.
