Shagrath – vocals
Silenoz – guitars
Galder – guitars
Current live line-up:
Daray – drums
Gerlioz (Brat) – keys

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REVIEWED BY – CHARLES FLORIO

Eonian… it’s been a long time coming. Dimmu Borgir’s last studio release was 2010’s Abrahadabra, the topic of many conversations among fans of the band. As a fan myself, I was certainly looking forward to new music from them… and with eight years of waiting, I had plenty of time in which I could ponder exactly what kind of an album I thought they might release. Were my ideas right or completely off the mark? Let’s dive into the new CD and find out.

 

The first thing the band released was the video for the song Interdimensional Summit. This was the initial taste of new music after all that time, and I was glad to hear it. This is a killer, driving track that shows the band in its full flight. The guitar riff and interesting keyboard work on this track, how they interplay and how their sounds build the song together, really is excellent.

 

The second video the band released was for the song Council of Wolves and Snakes. This track has what I would describe as a tribal drum beat and the track has several distinctive mood changes. This is a demonstration of the band looking to add a new somewhat unexpected element to their characteristic Symphonic Black Metal sound. I think it makes sense to release a different style of track for the second video, it gives people a different look at what’s to come. I feel that it was the right move and a good choice.

The most immediate thing, something that is unquestionably prominent when taking in Eonian in its entirety, is the consistent use of a choir. There is choir use on all of the tracks. In my opinion, using it on every track takes away the impact of the choir. I thought about it for a while, trying to reason out why their use of the choir has become so pronounced. Former bassist ICX Vortex contributed to the band vocally, extremely effective and complementary to lead singer Shagrath’s more sinster vocal style. I feel that, if he was still a member of the band, the use of the choir might have been more limited. Had the choir been used on certain tracks rather than essentially all of them, it would have made them more effective as a musical tool.

All of that being said, this is a good CD. Stand out tracks like Ætheric, Lightbringer and Alpha Aeon Omega do make this an enjoyable listen. What hurts this CD is the eight year gap between Eonian and Abrahadabra. Eonian is a good Dimmu release, but not a great one. It would have been also nice to see what core members Shargrath, Galder and Silenoz would have brought forth while keeping the lineup stable… imagine a truly cohesive ”band”, one that could bounce ideas off one another to help further the creative process. I hope that the upcoming tour to promote Eonian will put the band in a more bonded state, a better groove from which to create and follow this album up. If you’re a fan of Dimmu, you will like Eonian. There’s plenty of good on it, and I am glad to say I am left still wanting more from Dimmu Borgir without a long gap.

 

3 1/2 out of 5