On this day May 22, 2026 we FINALLY have new music from Dimmu Borgir!!! It’s been about 8 years since they released new music so let’s take a look……
For All Tid- so the translation from Norwegian to English is For All Time and it’s the only album to have future vocalist Shagrath on drums. To be honest when I first heard this record, I didn’t really care for it, but going back to it now I have a slightly better appreciation for it and yes, the production isn’t all that great however, you can sort of hear where they’re going with this. Now I know sub genres like black metal and death metal can be hard to understand but what makes this debut album unique is that the lyrics are all in Norwegian. Either way, definitely a great first album and if you want to hear something that would make you think of medieval times definitely give this album a listen.
Previous Score: 6.5/10
New Score: 7.5/10
Standouts: Det nye riket, Over bleknede blåner til dommedag, Hunnerkongens sorgsvarte ferd over steppene
Stormblåst- again another album where the lyrics are all in Norwegian, but I actually really enjoy that and it’s not often that you see a lot of European bands do this sort of thing. This would be the first to have Shagrath as the permanent vocalist, but this is the first album where he plays lead guitar. This is another one of those albums that sort of picks up where the first left off. A good follow up and again another album that I have a better appreciation for.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7.5/10
Standouts: Når Sjelen Hentes Til Helvete, Antikrist, Når Sjelen Hentes Til Helvet
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant- this is definitely one of those albums where things really start to pick up. This would be their first album on their new label Nuclear Blast and the production is just so much better. There is still a little bit of that rawness from the first couple of albums however this one seems to be more guitar driven. Fun fact this was produced by Hypocrisy frontman Peter Tägtren and it definitely is more aggressive than the last two albums.
Previous Score: 9/10
New Score: 9.5/10
Standouts: Tormentor of Christian Souls, Spellbound (By The Devil), Entrance
Godless Savage Garden- this is just a fun little compilation album that was put out in between the Enthrone Darkness Triumphant album and the next album Spiritual Black Dimensions. It has a couple of B sides and live tracks. Definitely one of those that if you’re a hard-core fan you’ll like and should check out. I’ll give it 8/10.
Standouts: Master Of Disharmony, Chaos Without Prophecy
Spiritual Black Dimensions- I feel like an album like this is building up to what their sound would ultimately be. On the last couple of albums there are more romantic stylings and with this one they definitely go for more of a macabre style. This one also feels a lot more goth-ier and it’s a really cool record. Again I have a better appreciation for this record given my more recent listening habits.
Previous Score: 9.5/10
New Score: 9.5/10
Standouts: Reptile, The Promised Future Aeons, Behind Curtains of Night-Phantasmagoria
Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia- oh yes this album…….I remember the album cover. The one with the naked lady in barbed wire and in fact I remember a classmate getting sent home because he wore the shirt to school. Ah to be young, dumb, and rebellious. Anyway, the album……. Cover art aside, this is a great record and what I would consider one of their classic albums. This is the first to have legendary drummer Nick Barker (look up his work and you’ll see why he’s so regarded) and he definitely brings that added power. Yes there are a good amount of drum triggers but that was suggested by Mayehm drummer Hellhammer and it really adds to the badass-ness that is this record. This one definitely has that classic Dimmu sound. It has the orchestral parts, the badass guitar riffs, and awesome vocals!!
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny, Sympozium, Hybrid Stigmata
Death Cult Armageddon- to me this is the quintessential Dimmu Borgir album. Everything about this record is just absolutely perfect when it comes to this band. The orchestral arrangements, the riffs, drums, vocals, bass, everything. The main theme of this album is the apocalypse and it’s one of those albums where you just look at the artwork and you just know exactly what you’re getting. This was also the album that gave us the song “Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse” and if you watched any of those early 2000s MTV reality shows, then you’ve probably heard this song. But aside from that the rest of the album is just so damn good. I can’t say enough great things about it and it’s still in heavy rotation on my playlists. What makes this album even cooler is that the orchestral parts were recorded in Prague with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. And another fun fact is that fellow black metal musician Abbath does backing vocals on the songs “Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse” and “Heavenly Perverse.”
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: Allegiance, Lepers Among Us, Allehelgens Død I Helveds Rike
Stormblast 2005- it’s always interesting when bands go back and re-record older albums and well as the name suggests this is a re-recording of their 1997 album Stormblåst. If you didn’t like the way, the original album sounded. You’ll probably like this one a lot more. Personally, I could go either way, but there’s just something special about the original album. Not that I don’t like this album or think it’s very good but if you’re not a fan of those older raw recordings, you’ll probably enjoy this one a lot more. Also, this one is easier to access on streaming sites like Spotify so there’s that. I will say thought that there are two new songs on here which at the time was a good way to hold people over until the next album. The album also included a bonus dvd with five songs from their Ozzfest 2004 performance. I’ll give this 7/10
Standouts: Dodsferd, Broderskapets Ring, Antikrist
In Sorte Diaboli- the album name translates to In League With The Devil and is a concept album. The story is about a priest in medieval Europe, who begins to doubt his faith in Christianity ends up, taking the place of the antichrist according to guitarist Silenoz. It’s a really cool story idea and again much like Death Cult Armageddon, it’s another quintessential Dimmu Borgir album. There aren’t really any orchestral parts and this one just goes for a straightforward blackened death metal sound but again another album that I listen to quite frequently.
Previous Score: 10/10
New Score: 10/10
Standouts: The Sepentine Offering, The Conspiracy Unfolds, The Ancestral Fever
Abrahadabra- it’s not like I don’t like this album or think it’s very good but they’re just seems to be something missing. It is unfortunate that the classic lineup of this band is not on here and maybe that’s it but in terms of a follow up record it’s actually pretty good. Another one of those records that I have a better appreciation for and it’s really hard to keep the trend going after five amazing records. Still, though I wouldn’t skip this record and I feel like this one doesn’t get mentioned quite as much as it should.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 8/10
Standouts: Born Treacherous, Ritualist, Renewal
Inspiratio Profanus- ah yes the obligatory covers album/EP. This is just a collection of covers that the band decided to put out for fun. You have covers from bands like Venom and even Twisted Sister. Something fun to listen to, but it’s something for them to put out between albums. I’ll give it 7/10.
Standouts: Black Metal, Burn In Hell, Satan My Master
Eonian- oh yes I remember seeing Internet ads for this album months before its release and the record label really really promoted this as the first album in eight years. I for one was excited and when I got it, it was not the return to form album that I was expecting. Again, another one of those albums that I liked, but didn’t love, and I still feel the same way about it. There are a lot more spoken words as well as folk elements. There are some great moments, but as a whole, I still feel the same way about it now than I did the first time I heard this. I also don’t remember reading very many tour announcements for this record and they really didn’t do very many US shows which doesn’t help things. Overall, it’s OK.
Previous Score: 7/10
New Score: 7.5/10
Standouts: Ætheric, Council of Wolves and Snakes, Lightbringer
Grand Serpent Rising- here we are. The latest album and I have to say it’s sort of feels like a continuation from the last record but at the same time something new and refreshing. It feels new in a sense that it almost could be a movie soundtrack and after a couple of listens, I actually warmed up to it a lot more. Now I know there are some people that wish that this band would go back to the early 2000s sound but this album proves that a band like this can and does evolve. Personally, I think it has a little bit of something for everybody, but I can see why someone would miss their earlier more aggressive sound. Was it worth the wait?? personally I would say yes. I’m going to give this album 8/10.
Standouts: As Seen In The Unseen, The Exonerated, Recognizant
What I like about a band like this is when you listen to their albums especially their earlier albums, you sort of think of old medieval Europe. That makes the listening experience that much more fun and exciting. Fun fact, there is an actual place in Iceland called Dimmuborgir. It’s a volcanic formation and the name is derived from old Norse meaning Dark Castles or Dark Cities. As of writing this in 2026, I will be seeing them later in the year, and I am very much looking forward to it.
Final Grade: A+
Previous Album Rankings:
- Death Cult Armageddon
- Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
- In Sorte Diaboli
- Spiritual Black Dimensions
- Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
- Abrahadabra
- Stormblåst
- Eonian
- For All Tid
New Album Rankings:
- In Sorte Diaboli
- Death Cult Armageddon
- Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia
- Spiritual Black Dimensions
- Enthrone Darkness Triumphant
- Stormblåst
- Godless Savage Garden
- Stormblåst 2005
- Grand Serpent Rising
- Abrahadabra
- For All Tid
- Eonian
- Inspiratio Profanus
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