Dimmu Borgir - Grand Serpent Rising - review
Dimmu Borgir - Grand Serpent Rising - review
Tracklist
01. Tridentium02. Ascent
03. As Seen In The Unseen
04. The Qryptfarer
05. Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
06. Repository Of Divine Transmutation
07. Slik Minnes En Alkymist
08. Phantom Of The Nemesis
09. The Exonerated
10. Recognizant
11. At The Precipice Of Convergence
12. Shadows Of A Thousand Perceptions
13. Gjǫll
A review by
Baz Anderson May 18, 2026
A four minute prelude eventually makes way for an initial rapid assault with "Ascent", followed by the longest song on the album "As Seen In The Unseen" and piano-heavy "The Qryptfarer". This opening trio perfectly capture the direction taken with Grand Serpent Rising. Perhaps resulting from Galder's departure, Silenoz and Shagrath have honed in on a more-direct and less-congested sound you can easily pull comparisons to portions of the late 90's albums with.
The choirs and big orchestrations the band have become known for have been scaled back too, but the grand production ensures Grand Serpent Rising still sounds quintessentially Dimmu Borgir. It must be mentioned however, the snare and bass drums in particular hide disappointingly and unusually low in the mix, most apparent in the faster portions of "Phantom Of The Nemesis", but evident throughout the album.
"Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel" brings down the pace as a genuinely refreshing palate cleanser, but after picking up the intensity again with "Repository Of Divine Transmutation", we are left facing the second half of the album.
Dimmu Borgir have taken some pride in the fact the last two albums have taken a combined sixteen years to complete, citing a focus on quality over quantity. It is a shame therefore the second half of Grand Serpent Rising does not reflect this principal, seemingly passing by at a reptilian pace.
Fleeting moments are there to enjoy, but especially from "Recognizant" onwards the album loses all pace, intensity, and seemingly creativity. Clocking in at an hour and ten minutes in total, these last three tracks could have easily made way to bring Grand Serpent Rising to a more digestible length, with "Gjǫll" acting as an enjoyable album outro.
Grand Serpent Rising is Dimmu Borgir's most melodic album since Death Cult Armageddon and the inspiration taken from albums even further back is enjoyable to hear. It took eight years for this grand serpent to rise, it's just a shame it couldn't stay risen for the duration.
Written on 18.05.2026 by
Written on 18.05.2026 by
Member of Staff since 2006 Comments
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Posts: 180
How did you listen to it 4 days before the release? And to listen thoroughly to write a review?
---- What goes by is life to be taken The doom calls upon the forsaken
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Posts: 18615 Written by Himedal on 19.05.2026 at 05:29 Metalstorm Official reviewers/staff get promotional digital copies from labels often months in advance. Precisely for review purposes. So this is not rare at all. 
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Posts: 13290 |
Posts: 13290 Written by Himedal on 19.05.2026 at 05:29 Trust me, I listened to it thoroughly. As Rod says, I received it from the label well in advance.
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Posts: 839
Thank you for the review! This time I decided to pre-order the album, so I was curious to know what I am getting myself into in advance. I'm actually quite pleased reading your review - I was expecting it to be another shitshow like Eonian  I'm surprised though to see that it's this long - cannot sit through 70+ mins long albums anymore like I used to.
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Long gone are the days of Spiritual Black Dimensions, Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and Death Cult Armageddon where the songs would rip your ears off your head. To me, they have slipped on a banana peel and fell into a downward spiral since In Sorte Diaboli (not my favorite). Perhaps the arthritis has been kicking in over the years. I have listened to this album many times as I program a lot. The first several spins seemed to just disappear into the background and then the album was over. I didn't pay too much attention until 12 or 13 spins. I really do like this album and it has a lot of great elements and is growing on me. The only problem is me, I still am waiting for some old school elements to grab hold to. I can easily point out the arrangements that irritate me but I'm slowly discovering elements that I really enjoy.
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