Dimmu Borgir
Enslaved
Terminal 5
New York City, New York
November 8, 2010
Tony Pijar
The Darkness Reborn Tour, starring Enslaved and headliners Dimmu Borgir, hit the US to the delight of their black metal hordes.
Veteran Norwegian metallers Enslaved are out promoting their new release, “Axioma Ethica Odini” and mixed the new with the old favorites. While the band has been around for around 20 years and have a vast back catalogue, they chose to play songs from their last three or so releases foregoing the 90s material for the most part. I’m not complaining because their latter day material is more enjoyable to these ears. Songs such as, “Ground” and “Fusion of Sense and Earth” seared the audience, while the new pieces, “Axioma” and “Ethica Odini” sounded great. There’s a bit of a progressive sound 70s sound amidst the cacophony of noise here!
Dimmu Borgir has also just released a new album, “Abrahadabra,” and it’s a corker! As the houselights dimmed, the elaborate black metal stage set up – inverted crosses, a litany of skulls and other ghoulish items - became swathed in a deep blue light and smoke as “Xiber” (the intro from the new release) played through the PA. In a flash of white noise, the band belted out of the gates with “Spellbound by the Devil” from “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant.” Vocalist Shahrath stalked the stage and had the most spectacular wardrobe that I’d ever seen – a sprawling white robe with fringes and demon skulls on either knees. Lead guitarist Galder, not to be outdone, had a devilishly apocalyptic outfit on with what seemed to be a dead fox draped over his shoulders; the truly eerie thing here was that the fox seemed to be watching Galder’s playing! Guitarist Silenoz looks uncannily like the Undertaker from the WWE! “Born Treacherous” from the new album is clearly one of the most outstanding Dimmu cuts ever – so gloriously sinister live. Other new tracked aired were “”Dimmu Borgir,” “Gateways,” Chess with the Abyss,” and “A Jewel Traced Through Coal.” As great as they come across on CD, they are massively powerful live. Fan favorites such as “The Chosen legacy,” “The Blazing Monoliths of Defiance,” “The Serpentine Offering” and closer “Perfection or Vanity” all sounded so full, intense, complex, and brutal.
These guys should on the A List to write musical scores for horror movies! What a great and talented band Shagrath, Galder and Silenoz have put together. For a group that typically creates recorded pieces accompanied by full orchestral arrangements and then to reproduce the sounds in such grandiose and realistic fashion in the live setting…well, you have to experience it for yourself!
