Dimmu Borgir
Forces Of The Northern Light

August 2017
Released: 2017, Nuclear Blast
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: John Haseltine

FORCES OF THE NORTHERN NIGHT is the first official release by Dimmu Borgir in 7 years. It is an epic plight into the live abyss. Recorded nearly 6 years ago in Oslo, and I believe some versions are stating Waken Open Air, this album and accompanying DVD finally see the light of day.



The show was recorded with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra or the Czech National Symphony Orchestra as well with the Schola Cantorum Choir. The musicianship in these live recordings is superb. Not only is Dimmu at the top of their game here, the Symphony playing behind them do a fantastic job.



Dimmu Borgir has been around long enough to have been listened to by most metal-heads. With their appearance at Ozzfest several years back, those whom wouldn’t give black metal a chance, became instant fans. And those who are actual black metal die-hards, seem to have lost respect for them. To each their own I suppose. I like them. And yes, mainly because they play ‘extreme’ music that makes sense. Symphonic black metal done right is worth it. Or any black metal for that fact. I am not a total purveyor of Dimmu Borgir, yet I do own a couple of their albums that get a spin here and there. From what I take from this release, there is a large amount of the tracks taken from ABRAHADABRA so the symphony makes sense with those songs. Not much excitement on that, just getting to hear them live. It is not as diverse of a set list as I would like to see, or for more of their old-school fans, but still a good show.



I did hit YouTube up and was able to view some of the video. It looks to be well shot. When time comes free, I will be trying to watch the whole set. But for now, I can only imagine as it plays through the stereo speakers.