Norwegian Symphonic Black Metal: DB

When does harmony corruption peak?

It's hard-listening (as opposed to easy-listening) music(k). "Keep it brutal," Cannibal Corpse and others like to say. Is Dimmu Borgir (pronounced \dee-moo bore-gur\) now the greatest band ever -- in the extreme rock category in general and symphonic black metal in particular?

Cradle of Filth, whom they used to be compared to all the time, can't hold a candle to this symphonic virtuosity. And limp Larstellica is just common stock rock (except calm Kirk, who's kool). The thrash element makes sense, the punk intensity, but it's the unimaginable precision, the technical proficiency, the innate talent to put all this together into a beautiful whole, and never mind the addition of the real orchestra. It is all too much, in the best way, monstrous elements and all. These hits are from Death Cult Armageddon.

See if anyone can name this classical tune.

So one day we went to a yoga class in Venice Beach, California, and the instructor told everyone to call him "Maestro." After class, next to my beautiful girlfriend he was staring at, I asked him why "Maestro"? It turns out he was a classical music buff pulling a Seinfeld, feeling himself much more of an orchestra conductor in life than a yoga teacher. He claimed he could recognize any classical song in just a few notes, not only the Beethoven stuff but obscure tunes, too. I always wanted to stymie him and prove him wrong with the following song, "Eradication Instincts Defined," because he would never guess it was a bunch of anti-church Norwegian hooligans playing extreme black metal with such sophistication in orchestration:

"Eradication Instincts Defined"

They really do make music like this, with a real-life orchestra.

(D'N'A Reacts) We Yanks are so -- but we mean well in big hearted Texas

D'N'A Reacts: "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" live at Wacken, EU

LYRICS: "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse"

[Verse 1: Shagrath]

The battle raged on and on

Fueled by the venom of hatred for man

Consistently without the eyes to see

By those who revel in sewers equally

We the prosperity of the future seal

Cloaked by the thunders of the north wind

Born to capture the essence of

The trails of our kind

[Verse 2: Shagrath]

Repeat Verse 1

Metal too extreme?

Metal Evolution - Extreme Metal | FULL EPISODE

[Chorus: Vortex]

Discover and conceive the secret wealth

And pass it unto your breed

Become your own congregation

Measure the sovereignty of its invigoration

[Instrumental]

[Bridge: Shagrath]

We, who do not deny the animal of our nature

We, who yearn to preserve our liberation

We, who face darkness in our hearts with a solemn fire

We, who aspire to the truth and pursue its strength

[Verse 4: Shagrath]

Are we not the undisputed prodigy of warfare

Fearing all the mediocrity that they possess

Should we not hunt the bastards down with our might

Reinforce and claim the throne that is rightfully ours

Consider the god we could be without the grace

Once and for all

Diminish the sub-principle and leave its toxic trace

Once and for all

Man cries, has spiritual experience reviewing

Vocalist's first reaction to Dimmu Borgir | "Gateways" (live - Forces of the Northern Night)