Metro Theatre, Sydney
Sunday October 21, 2018 :
The year was 1993, Bill Clinton had just become president, Stefi Graff had gone full postal on Monica Seles and Czechoslovakia ceased to exist. More importantly, something dark started to stir deep in the Norwegian fore… well, I’d love to say it was some mountainous forest filled with cave-dwelling trolls, but really, it was Oslo. Since forming in ‘93 Dimmu Borgir have released 11 studio albums and 2 live albums, toured the “world” countless times (Look, they’ve only been to Australia twice but who says we’re bitter?) and put out some of the most theatrical and stunning music videos within the metal genre. Now, Dimmu Borgir got their name from a volcanic formation in Iceland called Dimmuborgir which translates to “Dark Castles/Fortresses in Icelandic and Old Norse, for a symphonic black metal that pretter much nails the “What’s on the tin” label. The only original members left from the early days are vocalist Shagrath and guitarist Silenoz, but along with longtime guitarist Galder, keyboardist Gerlioz, drummer Daray and newcomer Victor (bass), Dimmu have found a lineup tighter than a pentagram stitched to a filthy sleeveless denim jacket.
So, it’s been seven years since the Norwegian powerhouse have graced our shores, what’s happened since then? Well, they’ve had two releases, one of which was the lavish, almost otherworldly live album recorded with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra & Choir called Forces of the Northern Night and the other is potentially up there with THE symphonic black metal album of the year entitled Eonian. On this tour to support the new album they’ve ventured to almost every corner of the globe and their not slowing down anytime soon.
Opening proceedings tonight is Perth based buzzsaw MH-2 masters Earth Rot. Being in a support slot for a band with such a passionate and vicious following must be no easy task and vocalist/bass player Jared Bridgeman does his best to wake up a fairly packed yet sleepy Sydney crowd, and although it takes three songs to get the heads banging, they don’t stop until the end of the set. Having done the entire New Zealand and Australia leg of the Eonian tour, Drummer D.J. Maloney can’t seem to stay seated, the excitement of the 10-day tour coming to a close might be getting to him, he still manages to crush a rumbling set of blast beats and double kicks with insanely technical proficiency. Guitar duo Thomas Waterhouse and C.A.X. Dickie absolutely gut the crowd with the dual buzzsaw guitars bringing thoughts of a fist fight between Entombed and later era Immortal, these guys certainly know how to pack a death and roll punch and although they don’t hit too many solos within the set, when they do they do it with blistering intensity. Pumping through a fairly quick 45-minute set, Earth Rot rally the crowd into a drunken frenzy. Who knew that Sydney metalheads like to drink on a school night?
Now that everyone is nice and toasty off overpriced alcohol, it’s time for the Dimmu fans to show their true colours, The band enter adorned in leather coats with hoods and spikes, smoke and red light filled the air, Dimmu start barreling through new tracks ‘The Unveiling’ and ‘Interdimensional Summit’ showing that they are certainly not here to mess around and they want the crowd to know they have a new album and that it subjectively rules. Tracks are carefully selected from “most” of the expansive 11 album back catalogue that Dimmu have at their disposal, however, Eonian is certainly the selling point of the setlist tonight, taking five tracks off their newest album which might not seem much but in a 12 song setlist, it’s a little steep especially because they don’t come to this neck of the woods often. This point, is the only negative about their set tonight. Touching on the 2007 album In Sorte Diaboli and the 2001 album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia only twice each, and taking a track each off Abrahadabra (2010), Death Cult Armageddon (2003) and Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997), it’s clear that Dimmu have certainly left their more traditional black metal sounds behind (four albums of which they didn’t play tracks from).
The rapturous chanted choruses coupled with thundering, almost tribal drums along with the signature demonic gurgle from vocalist Shagrath during their monstrous single ‘Council of Wolves and Snakes’ shakes the very foundation of Sydney’s Metro Theatre and sets the crowd into a sing along frenzy. Shagrath growls “We are gods” and the crowd enthusiastically (read; Drunkenly) call back “Here for the taking” There is a reason that Dimmu is one of the biggest and most influential entities within the black metal/symphonic black metal scene, it’s because they can write catchy hooks, regardless of the lack of melody within the vocals, it is easy for someone, even a casual fan, to sing back their songs. The band end their set with a ripping rendition of ‘Puritania’ and momentarily leave the stage for a typical encore amount of time. They return to the delighted, ravenous fans with three classic tracks in the form of ‘Indoctrination’, ‘Progenies of the Great Apocalypse’ and the blisteringly evil ‘Mourning Palace’. Dimmu are clearly smitten with the Australian crowds (most of the shows on this run sold out) with Shagrath vowing in a thunderous scream that “We will return”, the band get a photo with the crowd and as quickly as they came, they disappeared into the darkness of Sydney (Or, probably to the comfort of the Meriton around the corner). Tonight Dimmu Borgir showed why they are an absolutely crushing force to be reckoned with, let’s hope they don’t leave it so long between drinks.
Reviewer : Luke Winchester
Photographer : Davey Rintala (image from Brisbane show)