''Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'' is the third studio album by Norwegian

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

band

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

, released on 30 May 1997 through

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label move ...

. It was the band's first release through Nuclear Blast. This is the last release to feature keyboardist

Stian Aarstad Stian Aarstad is a Norwegian pianist and keyboard player best known for his four-year (1993–1997) stint with the black metal band Dimmu Borgir during which he played keyboards and synthesizers while engendering criticism and controversy for ...

and the first with bassist Nagash.

Release

The album has been released on many formats, including a limited edition

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...

(300 white and 1000 black). In 2002, a deluxe CD version was released with bonus material. ''Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'' was also the band's first album to display their second logo, though the old "black metal" logo is seen in the back cover artwork on the original printing. Due to concerns from Nuclear Blast, the lyrics of "Tormentor of Christian Souls" were omitted from the disc's liner notes. "Master of Disharmony" and "Raabjorn speiler Draugheimens skodde" are re-recorded versions of older, already released tracks (from '' Devil's Path'' and '' For all tid'' respectively).

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

praised the album, writing, "One of the most important Scandinavian metal discs ever, Dimmu Borgir's ''Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'' is the group's unquestioned masterpiece." In 2005, ''Enthrone Darkness Triumphant'' was ranked number 298 in ''

Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdrawn. ...

'' magazine's book of ''The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time''. In 2020, it was named one of the 20 best metal albums of 1997 by ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

'' magazine. In 2021, the magazine ranked it as the 7th best symphonic metal album of all time. The album has occasionally faced some criticism. Death Metal Underground labels it "a ripoff of bands that were new when these musicians were born," noting that it lacks a sense of theme and that it is essentially "a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

album with heavy metal riffs," which wants the "neoclassical orchestration that made he previous album''

Stormblåst ''Stormblåst'' (English: ''Stormblown'') is the second studio album by Norwegian black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released on 25 January 1996 through Cacophonous Records, re-released in 2001 by Century Media, and completely re-recorded in 20 ...

'' brilliant."

Track listing

Charts

Personnel

;Dimmu Borgir *

Shagrath Stian Tomt Thoresen (born 18 November 1976),Shagrath
at Encyclopaedia Metallum known professiona ...

– lead vocals, lead guitar, production *

Silenoz Silenoz (born Sven Atle Kopperud, 1 March 1977) is a Norwegian guitarist who is a founding member, along with Shagrath and Tjodalv, of the Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir of which he is the primary songwriter. He is also guita ...

– rhythm guitar, production *

– synthesizer, piano, production *

Tjodalv Tjodalv (born Ian Kenneth Åkesson in 1976) is a Norwegian drummer. He is a founding member of both Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child. He now plays in Black Comedy and Susperia. Tjodalv played guitar on the first Dimmu Borgir albums ''Inn i evigh ...

– drums, production * Nagash – bass, lead guitar, background vocals, production ;Additional personnel *Bente Engen – vocals (track 5) *

Peter Tägtgren Alf Peter Tägtgren (born 3 June 1970) is a Swedish musician, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is the founder, main songwriter, lead vocalist, and guitarist of death metal band Hypocrisy as well as the industrial metal band Pai ...

– engineering, mixing

References

{{Authority control Dimmu Borgir albums 1997 albums Nuclear Blast albums