Eonian

This band has fallen a long way since the masterpiece of "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant". I like they earlier more straight-up black metal before that, but the orchestration was impeccable and the song writing was amazing. The riffs were catchy and played off the symphony well. They are in one sense keeping that true on this album (More so than on Abrahadabra) but also modifying it to move forward.

The song writing, in general, is a lot more upbeat for a Dimmu Borgir record. There's not many funeral-esque moments and instead relies on brighter or almost uplifting sections. Take, for example, "Interdimensional Summit". Speaking on that chorus, it is insanely catchy. I understand sub-genres of black metal are not judged by how catchy they can be, but the hooks (both in the guitar and vocal sections) from their earlier work and a little from their later work can be found. Each song has at least one very catchy tune you'll be humming after listening, unless you have a predisposition to not like the album. The album artwork is a bit of a ruse because it evokes memories of earlier black metal album covers, like Gorgoroth's Antichrist album from 1996. You'd think the album would be more raw or traditional like that, but this is probably their most polished and approachable record to date (I say probably because there's a few albums in their middle career I've only listened to once or twice and are not that familiar to me).

The guitar work leaves much to be desired in the lead section with a few solos here and there but not much to really sink your teeth into. The rhythm guitar is a bit more interesting and ear-catching. Again, it's not the execution but it's the way they're written. I feel the same about this album as I do about the most recent Belphegor album (Totenritual) The drums offer the standard for the band which neither adds nor minuses much from their newest release. "I am Sovereign" does have a great drum section about halfway through the song. It's fast and something I have never heard before. As a sign-off note, please avoid the track "Council of Wolves and Snakes". It is the absolute cheesiest song I have heard in at least two years.

Favorite Tracks:
--Interdimensional Summit
--The Empyrean Phoenix
--I am Sovereign
--Ætheric

Technical Skill: 62% Originality: 55% Songwriting: 49% Production: 72%