ALBUM REVIEW: Eonian – Dimmu Borgir
Anyone who questions DIMMU BORGIR’s impact on black metal is, quite frankly, barking up the wrong snow-capped tree in a Norwegian forest. Taking the dark, evil tones so beloved by the extreme end of metal and throwing it into a cauldron with symphonies and orchestral compositions opened up an entirely new genre and, in turn, gave a plethora of individuals the ability to enjoy one of music’s harsher landscapes in a way they would not have done previously. Today, via Nuclear Blast, the next chapter in their career is unleashed with Eonian, their first studio record for eight years and tenth overall.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, as the saying goes, and with almost a decade behind them since last record Abrahadabra, the anticipation for Eonian has been sky high. Naturally, DIMMU BORGIR have done what they can to make this the most bombastic and grandiose of all their efforts yet. The production is as clean as a whistle which allows for the orchestral pomp and circumstance to soar and roll out across the ten tracks on show from the moment that opening number The Unveiling begins with the sound of a male choir that pops up at various points across Eonian to add layers and even, in the case of following number Interdimensional Summit, a rousing stomp of a chorus that would please all power metal fans at the same time. Lightbringer, which opens the second half consists of a great opening riff and barrage of blast beats and Shagrath’s instantly recognisable growls and the sprawling instrumental that closes the record, Rite of Passage, is a lovely way to tie off all loose ends, its delicate strains spreading out far and wide across the senses.
In turn, however, this attempt to produce something with a massive, expansive sound has come at a sizeable cost. Black metal is exceptionally potent when there is grit and savagery involved, where the lyrical subjects and truly demonic shred of guitars can almost instil terror in an individual. DIMMU BORGIR sound like they’re afraid to break a nail on Eonian, and this means that for all of the grandeur of tracks like Ætheric and the fist-pumping The Empyrean Phoenix, there is a distinct lack of bite and snarl. Consequently, there are large moments where songs simply pass the listener by as they roll into one, most notably with I Am Sovereign and Archaic Correspondence – there’s plenty of atmosphere, but very little attitude.
What’s most frustrating about Eonian though is that DIMMU BORGIR are capable of so much more than this. Their legacy speaks for itself and after such a long wait for a new album, it definitely felt like they would deliver something that, twenty-five years into their career, could have topped everything they’ve done so far. Someone once said ‘Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are “It might have been”’, and this sums up Eonian quite perfectly.
Rating: 6/10
Eonian is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
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