I got into Dimmu Borgir a lot later than a lot of people. Having grown up listening to mainly classical music, with the odd bit of symphonic black metal – Cradle of Filth and Emperor being the first I got my hands on – and gothic metal, such as Theatre of Tragedy, I was surprised I hadn’t heard of Dimmu Earlier. I must of found them around 2004/5 when I was 14 and really loved them. Luckily I found them when the fantastic Death Cult Armageddon was in it’s prime – an album that today still excites me when it begins to play.
So, having been relatively alright with In Sorte Diaboli (which I may review at some point) I eagerly awaited Abrahadabra – with half my excitement arising purely from the idea of a live orchestra returning to Dimmu. Live orchestras always sound better than keyboards and always do - but they need to be used carefully to be a worthwhile investment.
Xibir isn’t really the best intro I’ve heard. To be honest, I wasn’t that excited when I heard it. It was pretty generic as an opener, even if beautiful – it didn’t stop it sounding like the same song I’ve heard on Cradle of Filth intros from when I was a kid, and most symphonic bands I listen to tend to skip the intros. I was frustrated that when Born Treacherous ended, there was no continuity from Xibir either, which then made Xibir feel even more pointless. However, Born Treacherous was an alright track. I didn’t think the orchestra was used that well, but it sounded lush and rich and supported the band well.
This is something I hoped wouldn’t run through the album, luckily it didn’t; the rest of the album used the orchestra and choir far more creatively and effectively. Gateways – the lead single – demonstrates this well, which has hence resulted in me starting the album from Gateways a lot of the time. The interplay between orchestra and guitar on that track is what I expected from the beginning, and though at around the 2:20 mark, Born Treacherous does this – it wasn’t a special interplay that would be found on the rest of the album.
There are heavier moments – Chess With the Abyss, for example, reminds us that Dimmu Borgir are at heart a black metal band. But this doesn’t overshadow the rest of the album or stop it’s continuity when played as a whole. If anything, the self-titled Dimmu Borgir interrupts the flow, if only to restart it with more passion and greater momentum. It is this track, along with my personal favourite – The Demiurge Molecule – that demonstrates how well Dimmu can use their orchestra.
Overall I’d say this album is essentially In Sorte Diaboli mixed with more modern orchestral work and a better variety – an attempt to find personal identity once more. It’s an album that helps Dimmu re-create their identity and put them towards the top of the more extreme end of Symphonic Metal (I’ll avoid Symphonic BM for all those who don’t think DB deserve it). It’s a great album, but sadly I feel that it lacks enough cohesiveness to be a real album. This might just be me, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as impressive as Death Cult Armageddon in terms of an album – but Abrahadabra definitely has some of their best songs.
On the plus side, their orchestral versions are incredible, and show how – though only on a few tracks – Dimmu know how to utilise an orchestra, and if they did this for a whole album – they could be kings of their genre, sitting alongside Septic Flesh, Nightwish, and Epica – all of whom I would say are top of their respective fields in the SM universe.
7/10
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