Abrahadabra

When I first heard Gateways, I was impressed and excited, especially with the second half, with the interaction between Shagrath and Agnete and the traditional tremolo riff just before that. I really thought that the song was a preview of what was to come, but sadly, there could not have been a more literal way of putting it! And if only that song was to be the only flaw of the album... Abrahadabra was not the first symphonic black metal release of the band, but the guys were so obsessed by the idea of having an orchestra since 1998 and incorporated it a few times in their works, so the novelty was gone about a decade before this came out. We were not told why the desire to reuse it after many complaints since 2003 about the mixing nightmare that was going on in the studio, but now it seems that nobody had any issue with it, although many metal fans are furious because the guitars are quite silent.

And by silence, one can imagine unimpressive, subdued, complementary, topping (for the orchestras), background noise or toys for useful idiots, and not just instruments barely audible. I must confess that there is some black metal to be found under the extreme half-thrash metal which garnishes the orchestral music, but it's like watching a soccer game, when a player is approaching to score a goal without having getting a chance to hit the ball. The false expectations are so often that it is impossible to make a successful list of deceitful attempts without revising it on and on, due to subjective assessments. You need to understand that this was my favorite band since the first days of my metalhead years, so you cannot make me tell you which song is more black metal than the other. Some traces can be found in the aforementioned Gateways and about the entire first half of the album (minus the opener), but only one repetitive riff or two here and there, continuing with tracks 6 and 8.

Seeing all the previous reviews, I must be the only naive guy still thinking this is black metal, even in eclectic form, and I believe I'm right. Just because it doesn't feel honest or vigorous, or sterile, as opposed to atmospheric, sinister, and more minimalist, it doesn’t mean it doesn't have the ideological message, the evil vibe or the misanthropic edge. It still feels like it tries to transmit a message, one about the occult, honesty, life, and other topics, but it is more appealing to teenagers than a Dimmu Borgir veteran or a grown up fan more picky than everybody else. Silenoz, besides composing lousy riffs, now seems to be devolving as a lyricist even more than on In Sorte Diaboli, to an embarrassing level even for the retarded For All Tid times. And with no input from the others, it looks like every member stays in its own place, with the left not caring what the right is doing. Are we still talking about a band? Because this mentality is not healthy at all and it's not promising at all for the future of this band! (You need to read the lyrics for Gateways to see the irony here!)

Speaking of honesty or dishonesty, ever since In Sorte Diaboli, the lyrics are addressed in second person, as if the vocalist is talking or "screaming" at the listener. It's a very clichéd trick used by the pop industry as a marketing strategy, so the naive tool would think that the songs are personal and he could identify with them. It's so fucking hilarious to see a black metal band using clear satanic messages with means like this. During the SBD times, the band had similar goals, but the execution was more honest, even brutally honest, and with lesser payments in return. Shagrath was more venomous, convincing, passionate and imaginative than now and a voice in shape; now, we are hearing an over aged smoker, too tired and careless to even make an effort to impose on the listener. And with the orchestra on the background, one can image the New Year orchestral performance with a hobo conducting. Pretty picturesque, don't you think? One would assume that, with all the guest singers, the band would have found one for Shagrath's position, but it's O.K. to fake change in such a pompous manner, right?

From all this morally bankrupt soup, there is one hope for this band: the song Dimmu Borgir. Let's forget the lyrics and the pathetic vocals for a second and really think about the instrumental parts. When you hear a black metal song, you hear minor keys - sorrow, despair, horror, coldness, and negative emotions, but here we have innovation! Using major keys in the first half of the song, just like power or epic metal, and switching to the stereotypical black metal in the other just manages to create an unique painting of mixed emotions and a changing landscape, a more dynamic and complex one. I think, for once in more than a decade, the band managed to revolutionize black metal, but I guess for many it's too late to take them seriously or they just didn't realize what they've done. Maybe at best, they would reuse the formula and screw it up or they would play it safe, like on the previous album, and make something more in a classical manner, generic or old-school.

It's time for some conclusions! I don't want to dwell more on the compositional details, because the band created everything around the lyrical department, with the orchestra barring the hard work of translating their ideas in order to play them, so it's pretty stupid to get caught in the minor issues when the album has a structural problem big as a house and deep as its foundation. Then, even if the message transmitted by Silenoz has a noble meaning, its honesty is easily contestable by Shagrath's unconvincing and deplorable performance, and the musicians' increasing lack of interest in the final product, which is their supposed transposition of their vision. In the end, the album represents not their rebirth, renewal, or substantial change, but only a compilation of rehashed ideas, put together to support an orchestra, which in turn, backs the lyrics. I suppose Dimmu Borgir's Chosen Legacy is, in their own words: "Hypocrisy that surrounds my temple" (the band).

Just download the instrumental version of Dimmu Borgir; the other songs are optional (bad teasers). Maybe the GGFH cover, D.M.D.R. (Dead Men Don't Rape), is also worthwhile, because it's somewhat weird.