Stormblåst MMV – 90%
Lars_Stian, September 16th, 2017
Now this is how you do a re-recording! I often view this album as the optimal way to re-record an album. It made sense for the Dimmu fellas to re-record their classic from 1996, since they have gone through quite some change since their early days, and it’s therefore quite entertaining to see old material played in the style of newer Dimmu Borgir.
One problem I often have with re-recordings, is that they often feel unnecessary. Bands that have undergone virtually no change at all often needlessly re-record albums, and gives out the exact same content with no change or alteration at all, apart from different production. There were many good reasons for Dimmu to re-record, among them, as I’ve already stated, since their style has changed so much, many of the newer fans might not be able to enjoy their old material, and some can’t handle the production of the original. I like the original, though I must admit that the production was pretty bad.
Right, now that I’ve established why I think this re-recording is justified, on to the content itself. The music is altered in many ways, and even though the content was 9 years old when this was released, it still felt fresh, as they had altered riffs and tempos, rewritten a lot of the synth, and added two new songs. Unlike most bands that re-record, they actually had something new and original to add to their old songs, and it’s quite interesting to see how Dimmu has changed by hearing how they would have handled this album had they made it now.
The production is quite a lot better than on the original. It’s quite clear, and you can hear what’s being played with ease. The drums sound good, the snare is powerful, the bass actually sounds like a bass (unlike on the original), and the cymbals sound almost metallic, which fits quite well. Hellhammer plays the drums on this recording, and he does a good job. Though I wouldn’t say the drumming is without like, it is well written. The playing matches the music, and he knows when to blast beat and when to go slower. He also has quite a few fills, and they’re fairly good.
The vocals are also quite good. I liked Silenoz’s vocals on the original as well, and I’m not sure which I prefer, but Shagrath’s vocals are quite good, nonetheless. They’re quite high pitched, unlike Silenoz’s, and it’s quite easy to hear what he says. They’re quite standard black metal vocals, even though they’re good, however they seem fit for the music. One thing I like, is that he often creates a sort of shriek-harmony, where, as he shrieks, he also growls.
The rewritten synth is an improvement, for the most part. Production wise, it’s much better than the on the original, it sounds orchestral, and makes the album sound majestic and epic. The writing usually consists of fairly simple melodies, that when layered with the guitar, creates a great, symphonic atmosphere.
There are two new songs, as I’ve already stated, and the first of the two is “Sorgens Kammer (del II)”. This is the weakest of the two, but it’s still fairly good. It’s medium paced, and it’s fairly mystical and eerie atmosphere, and it’s a fairly standard black metal song, and though it certainly isn’t bad, it isn’t too noteworthy. The second song, ” Avmaktslave”, is actually very good, much better than “Sorgens Kammer (del II)”. It opens up with fast paced riffs, with an epic, majestic georgian chant, and had they claimed it was an unused song for the original, I would have believed them. It continues with a great, melodic black metal riff, with tremolo picking and blast beats, with a riff almost impossible not to headbang to, and then transitions back to the chant, and ends with a melodic riff in the style of old Dimmu.
rafazardly 