The album that dragged black metal into the spotlight—choirs, keyboards, controversy and all.
After Cradle of Filth’s Midian completely blew my mind, the leap to Dimmu Borgir was inevitable. They're black metal’s most theatrical siblings—dramatic, divisive, and utterly unbothered by purists.
Both bands get relentlessly scorned by the “trve kvlt” crowd and adored by everyone else. You know, the ones who don’t think keyboards are the devil.
And honestly? I get it.
Because the moment I hit play on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, I was all in.
The album that broke black metal wide open
Dimmu Borgir formed in 1993—started by Silenoz and Tjodalv, with Shagrath joining shortly after. By the time they hit their third studio album, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, the line-up had already shifted: Shagrath had stepped up as frontman, Tjodalv had moved to drums, and Nagash had taken over on bass. More importantly, the sound had changed.
EDT was released in 1997 on Nuclear Blast. It was their first album with English lyrics, their breakout moment, and the one that dragged black metal—screaming—into the mainstream spotlight.
And not everyone was thrilled.
Purists called it pop metal. Too melodic. Too polished. Too many keyboards. Too much everything, really. The band went from melodic black metal to full-blown symphonic goth bombast—and apparently that was unforgivable.
Personally? I think they nailed it.
Symphonic excess and pure atmosphere
Let’s talk about Mourning Palace.
My favourite track on the album. One of my favourite metal tracks, full stop.
It’s everything. That growl at the beginning? Perfection. The swirling keyboard melody that gets lodged in your brain for days? Even better. It’s over-the-top in all the right ways: choral stabs, orchestral swells, black metal fury, thrashy riffs, and enough drama to fuel a gothic opera.
This song doesn’t ask for your attention—it commands it.
And the rest of the album follows through with that same unashamed intensity.
The highlights (and why they still hit hard)
There’s a clear split on Enthrone Darkness Triumphant: the tracks that go full symphonic, and the ones that lean heavier into blackened aggression. It works. The tension makes the album breathe.
- Spellbound (By the Devil) layers in choirs and church organ—pure gothic theatre, soaked in atmosphere.
- In Death’s Embrace plays with tempo and contrast: fast, slow, melodic, then back again—and it works every time.
- Prudence’s Fall has that stomping, riff-driven groove that sticks—heavy, infectious, built to linger.
- And then you’ve got the darker, sharper cuts: Relinquishment of Spirit and Flesh, Tormentor of Christian Souls, Master of Disharmony. Grit and grandeur. No filler.
Melodies in my heart, corpse paint on my face
Some people say Enthrone Darkness Triumphant was the last album Dimmu Borgir made before they lost the plot. That everything after this got too polished, too theatrical, too far from whatever black metal is supposed to be.
I haven’t heard the later stuff yet, so I can’t say. But I can say this:
Like Midian before it, this album left me with actual melodies stuck in my head. Riffs I remember. Moments I still get chills from.
And I celebrate that.
Loudly. Dramatically.
Possibly in a cloak.
Big 💚