Dimmu Borgir – Eonian (2018)

Country: Norway
Genre: Symphonic Black Metal

Tracklist:

01. The Unveiling
02. Interdimensional Summit
03. Aetheric
04. Council of Wolves and Snakes
05. The Empyrean Phoenix
06. Lightbringer
07. I Am Sovereign
08. Archaic Correspondence
09. Alpha Aeon Omega
10. Rite of Passage

Norwegian symphonic black metallers mark their 25 years with their 10th studio album which is likely to divide rather than conquer. 

It has been a long eight years since the excellent Abrahadabra was released and fans of the band have been eager for new music for a long time. On the last album the band went band to their, at the time, mid-career by bringing the orchestral arrangements back to the fore. This resulted in some of their most atmospheric and musically demanding results to date. Eonian in some ways picks up the conductors baton that Abrahadabra put down.

An argument could be made, and most likely will be, that the band, after 25 years of black metal madness, have somewhat toned things down and lost their edge. Happy now to become more symphonic and musically experimental and sacrificing the early raw power and Enthrone Darkness Triumphant II it most certainly is not. That however might be missing the point slightly. Any number of bang average bands can scream and shout, play their instruments as loud as possible and terrify old ladies. Dimmu are a band evolving, there is no repeat to fade button.