Band:	Dimmu Borgir
Album:	Stormblåst
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	1996
Guest review by:	Windrider

01. Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen
02. Broderskapets Ring
03. Når Sjelen Hentes Til Helvete
04. Sorgens Kammer
05. Da Den Kristne Satte Livet Til
06. Stormblåst
07. Dødsferd
08. Antikrist
09. Vinder Fra En Ensom Grav
10. Guds Fortapelse - Åpenbaring Av Dommedag

Stormblåst is definetely one of the greatest black metal releases to date. Dimmu Borgir have never released anything else like this. It is the end of the old cold true Norwegian black metal style this band still claims to play. Stormblåst was re-recorded nine years later and that became one of the biggest fails in extreme metal history. The band claimed that in the 1996 version there was the atmosphere missing because of the sloppy production. This leads directly to the question, whether Dimmu Borgir have ever listened to their second album in a silent hour and felt the unique atmosphere they created. This record might be poorly produced, but if there is anything positive about it, it is the atmosphere. The production can also be seen as well fitting to the raw and frostbitten music.

In nearly 50 minutes we have ten songs that clock through the head like a cold Norwegian wind. The opener "Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen" is one of the best songs ever written by this band. Today we know that the piano intro is not written by the band, but the whole song is pure perfection. When Shagrath screams, it is a black metal feeling at its best. During the whole album he sounds like a demon just risen up from hell. His vocals would never again be as good as in Stormblåst. Something special is indeed "Sorgens Kammer," the instrumental track stolen by Stian Aarstad. It is arranged fantastically and fits so well, so who the heck cares if it's originally by the band or not, just relax and sink into the atmosphere. The guitars in this album contain awesome riffs that sound like they were written by a most talented band with ambitions to create a remarkable atmosphere. In the passages where you can hear the bass, it is mostly tremolo picked attack style, but beneath the great guitars and keyboards it builds a solid groundwork for the whole sound. Although Stormblåst is very filthily produced, the drum sound is quite clear and gives some divine moments to the album. In one track, the infamous "Antikrist," we have flutes during the chorus, they add another element of originality into it. This track is also worth a mention because of its great main riff. The lyrics in Stormblåst consist of well-thought out satanic and melancholic elements, in the later releases this is almost all replaced by brutality.

To summarize, we have with Stormblåst the last black metal album by Dimmu Borgir and for sure their best album ever made. From that point it is quite a shame how the band developed after this release, but somehow Cradle Of Filth called them and they followed. Always trying but never could reach them was the principle of Dimmu Borgir from that on, so let's stand together and mourn about what they became. As a consolation they have left us with their 1996-Stormblåst, their black, dark and cold album as never seen again.