Inspiratio Profanus

It’s not hard to imagine the Nuclear Blast Records powers sitting around a table, wondering what to do about Dimmu Borgir. Since the implosion of their greatest line-up, losing Mustis, Nick Barker and the evidently irreplaceable ICS Vortex in fairly short order, the once prolific masters of commercio-symphonic blackness have struggled for inspiration. Their studio album release schedule has dropped from an album every two or three years in their heyday, to merely a couple of albums since 2010: the confused and hapless ‘Abrahadabra’ and the ok but hardly devastating ‘Eonian’ eight years later in 2018.

Now, six long years later, there is still no new studio album, so the suits at Nuclear Blast decided in desperation to throw the various cover songs the band has created over its career onto one disc and send it out so that there’s at least some product available that isn't yet another t-shirt design. With all included tracks having previously been released as bonuses or b-sides, there is nothing actually new in this brief collection of 7 songs, and with no live songs or demos, there isn’t really a whole lot to get excited by. In fact, in order to limp over the 30 minute mark, the Celtic Frost track ‘Nocturnal Fear’ appears twice (making 8 songs in total I suppose) – once with Shagrath on vocals and the second with him (presumably) doing his best Tom G Warrior impersonation. Without this repeated track the whole compilation would come in at a measly 28 minutes long.

It's common to hear the opinion in metal that cover versions of songs shouldn’t sound exactly like the original, because that would render the exercise redundant. There’s validity in this, and I’m interested in hearing bands make a cover song their own by applying their particular style and strategies. Moonsorrow’s viking metal version of ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, for instance, or even Cradle of Filth’s ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’. Those classic songs 'became' Moonsorrow and Cradle songs with all the hallmarks of those acts, making the tracks interesting and engaging. Dimmu Borgir are probably most known for their flamboyant keyboards and symphonic leanings, so it’s a little disappointing to hear the 7 songs here not really having much of a Dimmu Borgir vibe at all. It's all very guitar-heavy and straight ahead, with little in the way of symphonic grandeur. Maybe the songs don't lend themselves to that sort of transformation, but if that's the case then what's the point at all?

The release starts with Venom’s iconic ‘Black Metal’, and while it’s fun to hear Shagrath doing his best karaoke version, it’s a very faithful copy of the original that really only makes me want to listen to Venom. If you know the Venom version, you’ll know this one. Bathory’s ‘Satan My Master’ is also pretty much a carbon copy of the original, albeit a bit cleaner and crisper. ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’ was recorded during the ‘Abrahadabra’ sessions, and is a clear example of how the band were experimenting and trying to figure out which direction to go in after losing so many talented band members. It’s an interesting enough version and well-placed at track three after a couple of black metal standards, but I don't mind if I never hear it again.

The highlight of the collection is their mighty rendition of Twisted Sister’s ‘Burn in Hell’ which was a bonus on the ‘Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia’ album, and Vortex absolutely stars with his clean, soaring, vocals. Dimmu Borgir have nailed it here. Deep Purple’s ‘Perfect Strangers’ is also enjoyable in its own way, and again something different with some double kick drum power from Daray and liberal use of keyboards. The Celtic Frost cover(s) are again very faithful to the original, and apart from the obvious reason for having two versions on here (ie filler), it’s not interesting enough to want to hear twice on the same disc. ‘Metal Heart’ is fine, but could really have been any band and it hasn’t really received the Dimmu treatment at all either.

Probably the most interesting thing about this release is the packaging. The tasteful and atmospheric band photos only include Shagrath and Silenoz, so I’m not sure if they’re edging Galder out or not, but they’re presented here as a duo. It’s a bit sad to see it come down to this after the glory days of 1997-2004. The inlay conveniently contains not just notes on where each song originally appeared, but also lists the full line-up that recorded each version, which is a nice touch (even if Nagash is listed as playing “ass and backing vocals” on ‘Metal Heart’ - it looks like a printing error but you just know it’s not…). To make it worth the money it really would have needed a thicker booklet with some historic photos and maybe an essay on some of the history behind the song choices.

As for whether this release deserves to exist, I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, it’s interesting to own as a collector’s item if you're a massive fan of the band, and as it chronicles some Dimmu history. The packaging is attractive and I suppose it’s better than nothing if you have money to throw away on things like this. On the other hand, it’s all been released before, it’s scandalously short, and the songs haven’t really been Dimmu Borgir-ed enough to make the versions all that different and intriguing. I wonder what Nuclear Blast will come up with next.