Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Dimmu Borgir - Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997)

Chalk me up for entry into the folder marked "Don't get the fuss around Dimmu Borgir" and file me neatly away in the back of the filing cabinet.  Perhaps this is too harsh a statement to open my review with as Enthrone Darkness Triumphant isn't terrible.  You can't deny the high drama levels that are akin to soap opera proportions of theatre, nor can you ignore the effort the band puts into their art form.  Musically, their 1997 release is hi-octane and bursting with passionate energy for the medium they espouse.

My problem is that upon reflection it is more or less all the same for the whole album.  Grim vocals, spreading a sense of despair and menace at the same time, are perhaps the highlight of the album for me, most certainly the standout part.  The rest of the experience just feels like a very excitable gallop into symphonic territory that whilst in essence works there's never an opportunity to absorb or digest much of anything by dropping pace a little.

I have no issue with relentless delivery of an album in the main but I still need something to latch onto to keep me interested and hooked.  Unfortunately here, despite not falling into the "throw every idea we have at the songwriting" trap, the album feels like it suffers from this regardless.  Working my way through all ten tracks there is definitely some structure to more or less all of the tracks but it feels somehow too hidden.

The memorability factor therefore is significantly diminished to the point of me almost getting bored, which is ridiculous given my acknowledgement of the energy levels present.  I just feel things need to be paired back a little to let the individual parts of the music breathe more freely and allow their impact to be more obvious and better appreciated.