To speak about a DIMMU BORGIR album, we must have in mind many facts, and we must understand that they had an atmospheric Black Metal age (on "For All Tid" and "Stormblast"), a melodic Black Metal age based on the mix of harsh guitar riffs and melodic keyboards parts (on "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" and "Spiritual Black Dimensions"), and finally their age based on orchestral arrangements (that begins on "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" and is lasting until now). Now, after eight years of a long wait, the Black Metal lords of Norway are back with a new album, "Eonian".

This time, the band is not as mechanical as they were on "Abrahadabra" (maybe it was a consequence of the traumatic split of the band's line up on 2010, just a bit before the recording sessions), but spontaneous, free and violent. In some moments, we can feel some influences coming from "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant"/"Spiritual Black Dimensions" age (due some simple musical arrangements that we can hear in some songs, as in "Interdimensional Summit"), but they are expanding a lot what was shown on their orchestral age. The same choirs and orchestra presence from "Abrahadabra" are back, creating some grandiose melodies.

Yes, the album is truly amazing!

Searching for a more organic sound quality for "Eonian", the band produced the album, having the hands of Jens Bogren on the sound engineering. Unlike its predecessor, this album has a darkened atmospheric feeling, but keeping the aggressiveness we are used. They have used defined sound and excellent instrumental tunes to create something amazingly heavy, melodic, aggressive and clean. The artwork is simpler than the previous albums' covers, maybe reflecting the insight of the album in some moments (a fine work from Zbigniew M. Bielak).

Along the core members (Shagrath, Galder and Silenoz) are Daray playing the drums and Gerlioz on keyboards, both being live members of the band for some years, and had Gaute Storaas helping with the choral arrangements of the Schola Cantrum Choir and for the orchestral parts (on this last one, having the helping hand of Francesco Ferrini). Then, the organic feeling has a reason: a band is playing, and not hired musicians.

The songs are all excellent (stop comparing the past with the present, kids), but the peaks of creativeness of them are heard on the excellent melodies and choirs of "Interdimensional Summit" (the first Single of the album, that shows a great work from vocals and a perfect mix of aggressive parts with darkened and melodic ones), the silk aggressiveness of "ÆTheric" (one of the simplest songs of the album, bearing very good guitars), the fine melodic moments of "Council of Wolves and Snakes", the atmospheric and darkened melodic lines used on "Lightbringer" (very good rhythmic changes, and a great work on the drums), the fine choirs and orchestral parts mixed with hypnotic guitars of "I Am Sovereign", the oppressive feeling that permeates "Archaic Correspondence" (here, some of the old aggressiveness is presented) and "Alpha Aeon Omega" (the harmonic structure of this song reminds a lot "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" times, but using an orchestral outfit). But this album is amazing from its beginning to its end.

So, we can point to "Eonian" as one of the finest albums of this year, and it states that the Lightbearers of Black Metal are back. To all those who were complaining about the band, I have a question: do you really know DIMMU BORGIR, or are you just a fan of one age?

Oh, did my words hurt you? Then you're invited to leave Metal and go listen to any other musical genre you want.