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Rating:
No.
We're just not there.
Well, I've always defended Dimmu Borgir, even when they remastered "Stormblast"; I have always supported and defended them despite having embarked on a path that has very little good in "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" where they went excessively into experimentation and the upheaval of their style, which has always been a bit contested, even in "Death Cult Armageddon" where they definitively distanced themselves from their origins and sank into the mainstream quagmire, from which it is very difficult to emerge. Well, now (or rather, a little less than a year ago) they come out with this "In Sorte Diaboli", so eagerly awaited by fans and hailed (!!) as a "powerful, sinister, extreme" record.
Since there are already two reviews on this CD, which express more or less the same purely positive opinion, I thought it was risky to publish a third one: but, as you may have noticed once, I publish duplicates if and only if I want to express a different opinion according to my personal points of view.
Now that I've exhausted the preliminaries, let’s get straight to the point: this CD is crap (forgive me, but sometimes I resort to bad language). This "In sorte Diaboli" doesn't say ANYTHING new, nothing that can draw praise from the public, it has no soul and its merits, if they can be so called, are a tenth of the flaws. It is flat, empty, the shamefully faded image of a band that fifteen years ago had a lot to say and now, running out of ideas, has decided to lower themselves to the levels of any "extreme" commercial band. Of course, the word commercial in Metal should be taken with a grain of salt, but I can't think of other terms to discredit the album in question.
The problem for the DB now is the total absence of ideas, but if they have no more ideas they could also stop violating music and thus avoid making some unfortunate fan spend more than 20 euros who, trustingly, burns their allowance on a... A... Such garbage.
You must be getting tired of hearing me throw unjustified invectives, so let's analyze the album in detail, even though it’s difficult to talk about relevant details in a CD like this.
First of all, it would be natural to link to the band's previous works to make some comparisons: we can say what we do NOT find in "In Sorte Diaboli", such as the raw and furious melancholy of "For All Tid" (oh, that one was a masterpiece), the palpable fog of "Stormblast", the elegant and overflowing power of "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant", the excellent keyboard virtuosity of "Spiritual Black Dimensions", even the innovative violence of "Puritanical Euphoric Misantropia" and, although less important, the apocalyptic atmospheres of "Death Cult Armageddon". Ergo, forget all that and put the CD in the player.
Of course, the single "The Serpentine Offering" is an excellent track, striking in its majesty, but what do we find beautiful in the other eight tracks?
I'll tell you what we find:
CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA*
TRUMTRUMTRUM TRON TRON TRON**
"BWHAHAHA IN SORTE DIABOLIII WOO WOOO SATAN I GIVE YOU MY SOUL"***
This is what this album tells us. I'm sorry to have deplorably resorted to a few onomatopoeias to express myself, however a big part of the CD can be perfectly summarized like this, I'm not kidding. In all the tracks, we find a shadow, a horrible caricature of Dimmu, see "The Sacrilegious Scorn", which awkwardly tries to imitate much more worthy tracks like "Mourning Palace" or "Reptile"; "The Sinister Awakening", which sadly emulates the not-so-successful "Death Cult Armageddon"; finally "The Chosen Legacy", a quick and superficial reprise of the madness of "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia". All supported by a very solid base that unfortunately lacks consistency. It is sad.
So why are there some tracks that are particularly appreciated by those who love this "thing"? There must be some reason... But it is simple: almost all the songs aim to capture attention in the first 20-30 seconds; pay attention, doesn’t "The Chosen Legacy" start with a Hellhammer in great shape inviting Metallers to unleash in a frantic headbanging? And doesn’t "The Invaluable Darkness" start off great with a guitar and keyboard loop of indisputable beauty? Furthermore, I try to imagine the amazed expression of some gullible person who, hearing the first part of "The Fundamental Alienation" says all excited and happy: "Wow, even satanic choirs! Awesome!!!", when the rest of the song (and the songs) does not turn out to be inspired or convincing; too bad that the 9 tracks do not last only 30 seconds, but around four/five minutes. It all seems so "fake". I also find that the definition of an "extreme" record is a bit daring since it is not clear whether Dimmu are eminently taking us for a ride... Ahem, backside.
Even the concept on which the album is centered is somewhat pathetic: at this point, I'll watch Star Wars if I want to hear the story of someone who gives in to the "dark side". I have nothing more to say, I hope I have expressed myself well enough.
Legend:
* Annoying mishmash of guitar riffs, monotonous and expressionless.
** Explosive mix between Hellhammer's pounding drums and the earlier CHUGGA CHUGGA, very similar to a train running.
*** An overexcited Shagrath falling into the most absurd clichés of "black" Metal.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 The Serpentine Offering ()
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
Evoked and entertained through centuries
Wrathful and sullen -- Dormant still
The ferocity pervades everywhere
Waiting to be released at last
Hear my offering
Ye bastard sons and daughters
Share my sacrifice
Share my sacrifice.
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
My descent is the story of everyman
I am hatred, darkness and despair
Reconcile not with the fear of the snake
But embrace it as your own
Inject its venom into your veins
And replant the seed that gives growth
Still shrouded in mystery
Until you arise above perception
A veil of ignorance is in motion
Continuing throughout generations
(A veil of ignorance is in motion
Continuing throughout multiple generations
Let me be the one that deliver you from the deceit
And back into perfect accordance with the laws of nature)
The snake is notoriously tempting
But the snake is fair
What is worse than not knowing?
To live or disappear?
The ferocity pervades everywhere
Waiting to be released at last
Hear my offering
Ye bastard sons and daughters
Share my sacrifice
Share my sacrifice
02 The Chosen Legacy ()
Hence I will anoint
And whisper wholeheartedly
The creed of Hades and beyond
As I succumb to inevitable sin
For I can not enslave myself
With imaginary words of salvation
The hypocrisy that surrounds my temple
Is assisted by pretenders to the throne
The winds that blow purity
Signily my chosen legacy
I was born in opposition
A contender to creation
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
In sorte diaboli
For my sins
I will ask no forgiveness
For my sins
They are not to forgive
So never speak of me quietly
Stand by my confession
I voice your rebellion
Against the traitor of the world
I am the first creature of this Kingdom
I will be The One
To outlive His time
With the triumph of free will
04 The Sacrilegious Scorn ()
Have I not
Been too long in the shadows of invention and creation
As I rightfully behold the flesh
Fear of the conscious mind will have you facing away
My word and world holds ground and is real
Your word is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit of different tongues
It all seems like an eternity
This battle between us two
"Good and evil"
Me and you
Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me
My word and world holds ground and is real
Your word is like floods of poisoned water
A language spoken with spit of different tongues
You can never corrupt me again
Time has come to step up
And take back what you took from me
You can never corrupt me again
I protect every man guilty of sin
The ultimate sin being me
The vapor from the plague
That infested my mind, body and soul
Obscured my view from wisdom
The mist that had me wonder in resentment cleared
And troubles me no more
06 The Sinister Awakening ()
I sense the darkness
The desire overtakes
My devotion endeavors
Habitation changing course
Repentance oh not
No shame or remorse
Will I ever authorize
On this treasured path
I am warm by this fire
And its flaming desire
For what I can not fulfill
My destiny completes
I believe my truth to be
A much greater thing
Than a manufactured lie
Too great to comprehend
Where I come from
There's no higher authority but me
Being my own god
Is all I was meant to be
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
Antichristus Spiritualis
In Sorte Diaboli
07 The Fundamental Alienation ()
My eyes got blinded
And conned by the light
Like a fugitive on the run
I sought perseverance in the night
Deceptive icons were finally
Taken out of my sight
As the contender to origin
I will forever unveil His might
They say I am the cancer
On the back of the Inquisition
I may well be the cancer
In the heart of the Inquisition
They say I am the cancer
On the back of the Inquisition
I am the cancer
In the heart of the Inquisition
Through my years of sacrifice
Evolution came with lessons learned
Respect and fear
Is what I earned
So underestimate not your vision
Or you will be taught
Calculate your intuition
And you will teach
You all have been conned
And I always take the blame
For you do not understand
You are all the same
08 The Invaluable Darkness ()
Fear Tomorrow's Adversary And the wealth of uprising The final storm will be released And the unmerciful will erect Hidden from the eyes of your God I will proclaim original sin And have you all purged and purified From the lies that remain within Cleansed and draped in sulphur linen Black and pure since the Beginning Mercy is not truth Your sins are next to mine Mercy is not truth All your sins are next to mine My soul's ablaze Inflamed with rage and isolated In whirlwinds of hate My soul's ablaze Yet camouflaged in the haze Why did He not see this coming? Why did He not understand? One time forsaken But forgotten I am not I will win this war But never the peace I am my own free spirit Hence I will not rest
09 The Foreshadowing Furnace ()
Sparks fly and fire licks my wings
Tied to this wood - I was born for burning
I rebelled against the flock
Declined to submit to slavery
As a token from my legions of the chosen few
I reveal the secrets to the world's most famous forgery
As flames devour my skin
Flesh melting - peeling off
My days as an earthbound entity
Are outnumbered and have come to an end
I will never be laid to rest
But be free from oppression
Those of my kin - the black flame
Those of my sin - hail my name
Those of us that have been given eyes to see
Will never be laid to rest but be free from oppression
In this hour I finally separate
Carnal knowledge from divine will
In this hour I finally separate
Myself from your tyranny
Still our enemies will keep hiding
In the shadows with betrayal against reason
But with my reprisal I shall endure
And uncover the magnitude of this treason
I will arise from perdition
And let me presence known
I will author a new era
And have my Beast shown
My stigma is of damnation
I am from beyond your God
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Other reviews
By Matt7
'In Sorte Diaboli' is a nightmare made dream, it’s a journey through hell.
The music speaks and dispels any doubt about the group’s quality.
By Stanne90
"'The Serpentine Offering' reveals itself not only as a great song but also as an excellent lead single to introduce the world to the truly commendable abilities of this group."
"In Sorte Diaboli is an excellent album slightly more black than symphonic but still will be very much appreciated by both old fans and those approaching this splendid genre for the first time."
