Band:	Dimmu Borgir
Album:	Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	May 30, 1997
Guest review by:	TheH2K

01. Mourning Palace
02. Spellbound (By The Devil)
03. In Death's Embrace
04. Relinquishment Of Spirit And Flesh
05. The Night Masquerade
06. Tormentor Of Christian Souls
07. Entrance
08. Master Of Disharmony
09. Prudence's Fall
10. A Succubus In Rapture
11. Raabjørn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde [bonus]

In this review I want to voice my opinion about one of the best metal albums of all time.

First of all, changes after the previous albums are conspicuous enough to be mentioned. If we want to categorize Dimmu Borgir albums, there are four periods: The first wave (1993-1996), the second wave (1997-1999), the third wave (1999-2009) and the fully orchestral and choral era. This record is the beginning of Dimmu Borgir's second wave.

The guitars are more melodious and not too sharp in sound, unlike the two previous records.The keyboard has a mellifluous sound this time, atmospheric like Stormblåst and melodic as a new signature. For those who have played it, Korg X5D's sound is easily recognizable. Drums are quite good and tangible; also this is the first time that we see Nagash. If you have listened to The Kovenant's early albums, you can easily observe his impact on this record. "Bizarre Cosmic industries" in Nexus Polaris is something I want to refer to as an example.

One of the key elements of many successful extreme bands has been Peter Tägtgren as a producer, which surely can be found in this record. Shagrath's voice is unnecessarily high-pitched, which personally I do not go after it that much, and I prefer his later vocal styles.

"Mourning Palace" and "Spellbound By The Devil" each contain three different phases. The main riff, a long bridge and an epic ending. "In Death's Embrace" and "Entrance" are those brilliant pieces that we can talk about for many times.

In this album we have some solos for the first time in a Dimmu Borgir record, one in "Spellbound By The Devil" and one in "A Succubus In Rapture"; the second one is really melodious and dynamic in a way that warms the listener up before it starts with some marching drums and guitar fillers, just awesome (this track is a winner!!!).

Finally, everything in this record is a sign of good things to come in the future, and to be honest a good record that we can barely point out weak points.