Event:	Dimmu Borgir + Amon Amarth: The Invaluable Darkness Tour
Written by:	Baz Anderson
Published:	01.10.2007
Galleries:	Dimmu Borgir, Amon Amarth - Nottingham, England, 29th September 2007 by Baz Anderson (22)

Things did not go exactly to plan, but I did eventually get into the venue and ready for the show that seemed like it was going to be a very promising show indeed. Dimmu Borgir and Amon Amarth, two big names and also Engel stepping in at last minute. Engel kicked the show off to a desolate main hall, but as they got into the swing of things people clearly also started to enjoy what was coming from the stage and decided to come up and watch. Unfortunately the set only consisted of four of five songs, but the band seemed to leave a good impression on some. Opening a set, especially for two great bands like the two bands to follow is never an easy thing to do - the audience does not embrace you right away, they can be standing on the stage, finish a song and the audience stands there in an awkward silence waiting for them to finish - but this was not entirely the case here. As you can expect they did not raise the roof but they received quite some appreciation and quite deservedly as well as they performed a good set in their time slot. They play a sort of melodic death metal with strong techno, industrial, whatever elements over the top - and it actually works quite well. The frontman moved around the squashed, cluttered stage as best as he could as the drum kit was set up right in the middle of the stage, out of the way of the highly raised, dark and ominous Dimmu Borgir drum kit that sat up top. Engel find themselves on a large label and have a good sound, their future may be bright but for most of the show I must admit I was taken back by the fact that the guy that was in The Crown was playing guitar right in front of me.



Still, one band down and one enjoyable set listened to - we were off to a good start. We got off to an even better middle as soon as Amon Amarth took the stage. Still, the stage cluttered not just with the protruding drum kit in the middle of the stage, but also we had the addition of a constantly either bemused or annoyed man sat directly behind the drum kit for seemingly no reason at all. Anyway, the band took the stage and like Engel had a super short set for usual Amon Amarth set lengths - just six songs, but still these six songs were some of the best six songs that Amon Amarth could have played. Although we would have all liked a longer set from them, the shorter set did allow them to just get straight to the point and skip out any of the slower, filler type songs to the set. I have seem Amon Amarth in just about almost any circumstance you are going to commonly see them at a metal show now, I've seen them headlining a show, in the middle of a festival day and now supporting with a shorter set and it doesn't really suit them supporting at all. With Amon Amarth you want to be able to go at it 100% and so do the band, but with this restriction of time and knowledge that a lot of the people there are actually not there for you but the headliners, it kind of puts a little dampener on things. But still, Johan (wearing a top this time) and company put on a really great show consisting of nearly all material from the new album and entertained a large portion of the crowd. It was clear not everyone was there to see Amon Amarth though, there was not as much crowd interaction but this just meant they put more attention in the music and this is never a bad thing. "Cry Of The Blackbirds" or "Asator" never sounded so good, the bass drums pounding away so fast - it was probably one of the best set-ups sound wise I have ever heard which is even more unfortunate that the set was so short, but alas most of the people here tonight were there for the headliners Dimmu Borgir.

Setlist:

Valhall Awaits Me
Runes To My Memory
Death In Fire
Cry Of The Blackbirds
Asator
The Persuit Of Vikings



An intermission of little elves scurrying around the stage later and we have a big, open stage with no drum kit in the way just waiting for a bunch of painted up Norwegians Dimmu Borgir to take to the stage. I had seen these same gentlemen at a certain Wacken festival earlier in the year and so had a little something to go by on how they may perform, and so I had my expectations going into the show. The band walked out looking the business as they always do, clad with spikes and mean, white painted faces, mean faces apart from Galder that is - who just always looks funny. Just like earlier in the year the show kicks off with the grandiose "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse" and, well they finished the song and introduced the next, "Vredesbyrd", but half way through the song the band all of a sudden spat their dummies out, threw their things on the floor and stormed off the stage. Apparently there were some sound problems or something but they seemed fine from the floor. Still, the band re-emerged and introduced the song again and actually finished it this time and the set ran smoothly from here onwards. A double splattering from the "Puritanical..." album and a triple drenching from the new "In Sorte Diaboli" album later and we were already well into the set. A lovely "A Succubus In Rapture" dedicated to all the screaming females later and it was time for break number one.



As I stood there facing an empty stage I heard bellowing from the speakers that instrumental passage they like to call "Fear And Wonder" and I was thinking "oh my god, if they do "Blessings..." I am just going to explode", as you may or may not know I totally love that song and that whole album. Just as the album goes the band take the stage again and "Blessings Upon The Throne Of Tyranny" starts and the place erupts, I assume anyway because I was in a world of my own at this point. New-ish track "Sorgens Kammer - Del II" follows and it would seem we have gone into "songs the audience would actually like to hear played" territory as "The Insight And The Catharsis" follows showing a bit of that vintage Dimmu Borgir that always sounds so marvellous. Another break, or encore, whatever you want to call it later and we have "The Sacrilegious Scorn" which is followed by a complete surprise to me "Grotesquery Conceiled" which sounds a thousand times more haunting live than on any CD. At this point the set had been going on for so long it seemed although they were never going to stop, but everything ends and this show ended on a majestic "Mourning Palace" that, again, sounded much more full of sound live than any CD.



I was not expecting such a fantastic show as Dimmu Borgir delivered here. The band on stage seemed very genuine, my googly-eyed bald friend Galder and Silenoz especially. No, seriously though Galder is such a great presence on the stage, he moves around so much and adopts all sorts of poses with his guitar playing and makes a lot of connections with the audience making funny faces along the way. We also know Dimmu Borgir haven't exactly had a stable run of drummers but at the pace they play their shows everything sounds good - especially material from the "Spiritual Black Dimensions" album, the fast bits here are played at "Puritanical..." speeds which obviously lights a fire under the whole audience. I only have a couple of negative points to make, and that is that at Dimmu Borgir shows, the bass drums never have as much bass to them or are loud enough to truly enjoy them as much as you would like, and also the guitars never seem to have that razor like cutting edge like they can do on CDs - the performance is fine, it's just how it all sounds. Still, these are just minor things that do not harm the enjoyment of the show. Everyone that went seemed to thoroughly enjoy themselves as Dimmu Borgir triumph once more!

Setlist:

Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse
Vredesbyrd
Puritania
Sympozium
The Serpentine Offering
The Chosen Legacy
The Sinister Awakening
A Succubus In Rapture
---
Fear And Wonder
Blessings Upon The Throne Of Tyranny
Sorgens Kammer - Del II
The Insight And The Catharsis
---
The Sacrilegious Scorn
Grotesquery Conceiled (Within Measureless Magic)
---
Mourning Palace
The Fallen Arises

Written, and photos by Barry Anderson