A subculture of the metal genre that is beloved by many and shunned by even more must be the black metal genre. Bands dress in all black, wear corpse paint, and adorn themselves with spiked attire, looking like they are about to race into battle. Alongside that comes lyrical content that tends to speak about anti-religiousness, Satanism, misanthropy, and even more whimsical subjects like nature and folklore. The fans who have taken the time to understand who these bands are find a rich wealth of musical identity. One of those bands is Dimmu Borgir, who lean more into the symphonic black metal side of the genre. They have not toured the United States since 2018. So when they announced their Grand Serpent Rising Tour and set a show at The Novo in Los Angeles, CA, fans sold out the venue to raise black metal hell.

Opening the show was the band known as Hulder, who set the mood for the night. As a floral ornamental arrangement of branches hung on the mic stand, the band walked out draped in minimal lighting, casting a mysterious and ominous shroud around them. Launching into their opening song “A Beacon From Darkened Skies”, Hulder’s sound had a mix of rhythmic and tribal beats layered under a wall of noise being blasted at you by the instrumental section. Vocalist Hulder didn’t just sing - she summoned demons with the depth of her vocal growls. Her voice resonated with the deepest and darkest parts of your soul, pulling at the darkness inside of you and forcing you to commune with the music. Guitarist Keld, bassist Necreon, and drummer Vapula created a cacophony of musical blasts that shook the ground beneath us. Hulder continued this onslaught with songs like “View From Nemeton”, “Sylvan Awakening”, “Verses in Oath”, “Vessel of Suffering”, “Drie Raven”, and ending with “…And We Shall Sing”. Hulder awakened something deep within the crowd, and we were ready for our headliner.

It has been eight years since Dimmu Borgir set foot on American soil to perform. As we waited for the band to hit the stage, there was an electricity of anticipation running through The Novo. When the band finally stepped out to the audience with their song “Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel”, the fans erupted in excitement. The band members themselves looked like demons with their stylized corpse paint, adding to the nature of their black metal origins. Vocalist Shagrath sang as if he were summoning demons. There is a harsh grit to his voice, but you can still discern the lyrics of what he is singing. Guitarists Silenoz and Damage crafted roaring guitar lines that had fans air guitaring and headbanging in the crowd. Bassist Victor Brandt and drummer Daray laid down the melody and rhythm that each song’s pulse beat to, while keyboardist Gerlioz added a fantasy type melody over the top of it.

As Dimmu Borgir is a symphonic black metal band, their music has a bit more rhythm, melody, and overture to the songs. Those added aspects allow the band to build far more elaborate arrangements, and the fans eat it up. We were in for a theatrical type show as Dimmu Borgir lambasted us with songs like “Mourning Palace”, “Kings of the Carnival Creation”, “Council of Wolves and Snakes”, “As Seen in the Unseen”, “Ascent”, “Stormblåst”, “Reptile”, “The Insight and the Catharsis”, “The Serpentine Offering”, “Puritania”, “Gateways”, and ending with “Progenies of the Great Apocalypse”.

Eight years of waiting for Dimmu Borgir to come back to the USA was well worth the wait, as this was a phenomenal set of music from across their discography. Many fans across the venue came in their own stylized corpse paint, Viking-esque attire, and metal studs as far as the eye can see. The black metal genre may be hated, shunned, or misunderstood due to some of the more radicalized bands within it, but the bands overall are here to perform in their own artistic way. The fans who truly appreciate the black metal genre understand that this is just another musical art form that deserves to be appreciated more by the public. I hope that we do not have to wait another eight years before Dimmu Borgir comes back to the States.