Cool Music Weekend #3: Dimmu Borgir

I love Dimmu Borgir.

Yeah, I said it. Don't laugh.

Why do I love Dimmu Borgir, which is one of the most controversial and disliked black heavy metal bands around today? Well, for one thing they're a more diverse and yes, talented, band than a lot of people might give them credit for. All of the musicians involved are very good at what they do, and they can produce some genuinely beautiful music. Dimmu Borgir can do symphonic black metal that's almost operatic or just nasty, angry stuff that's pounding and aggressive (and yet Mustis the keyboardist somehow still works in those great Hammer-Horror organs). They can also do purely symphonic music, as well.

And BTW, to those who say Dimmu sold out after their last album in Norwegian, well, they've ALWAYS had symphonic elements in their work, and yes, I wish they'd go back to singing in Norwegian, too. Mainly because I think that with few exceptions, their (English) lyrics are the weakest thing about the band. But the rest of Dimmu Borgir is really cool.

Behold the musical diversity of Dimmu below. First up, the pounding and absolutely ferocious "Spellbound (by the Devil)", which still has some symphonic elements towards the end. Also, Mustis on organs. I feel like I should be watching a Christopher Lee vampire film while listening to this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAXuUkDoBKw

My personal favorite of theirs, "A Succubus in Rapture", which actually has some of their better English lyrics, because it actually tells something of a story (about something other than Satan, no less!) and isn't all "blah-blah Satan" all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tVjDPyFYkw

"Puritania" is pretty ferocious-sounding, too, and it has more of an electronic, quasi-industrial, almost science-fiction edge to it. I also like the lyrics in this one, because it's like a story being told from the point of view of aliens or demons or whatever who are annihilating humanity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTssCybx2lQ

And finally, here's "Fear and Wonder". Composed by keyboardist Mustis, it is entirely symphonic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCwKEGWs5bg

So... with that in mind, is Dimmu Borgir cheesy? Yes, extremely so; their public image checks off just about every little box in a "Black Metal Caricature" checklist. (And that is probably one of the reasons I like them, given that they're sooo metal and dark and brutal that they're about the closest the human race will ever come to a real-life version of Dethklok.) Are they also extremely, extremely talented? Yes. And there's another reason I like them, too.