Album Review: Dimmu Borgir - Grand Serpent Rising (Nuclear Blast Records, 2026)
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Written: 17th May 2026
Formed more than three decades ago, Dimmu Borgir can certainly stake their claim among the defining bands of the second wave of black metal that shook the world in the nineties. While their blend of melodic and symphonic black metal has not always sat well with purists, it is impossible to deny their popularity. While their output was fairly regular in their first ten years or so, new album Grand Serpent Rising is only the band’s third album since 2007’s In Sorte Diaboli. However, guitarist Silenoz comments, “No question: quality must always trump quantity. We eventually set deadlines, but in the early stages of a new album, there are no schedules at all. Rushing means nothing to us. The most powerful blackened art simply can’t be forced without losing its essence.”
At seventy minutes, Grand Serpent Rising is Dimmu Borgir’s longest album to date but it is also one of their more varied releases. It opens with the haunting strings of Tridentium, an atmospheric prologue that also makes use of choral voices and pouring rain before developing into a cinematic piece, ominous piano and Shagrath’s spoken word adding to the mystical aura. From luminous fire / The glory and the danger alike / The grand serpent rising. The album’s title comes from a wish to represent rejuvenation as Silenoz explains, “Dimmu Borgir is a leviathan of a band on a grand scale and we are rising once again. While the serpent represents evil to some, for us it symbolizes something else: renewal, growth, knowledge, and liberation. Shedding our skin, so to speak.” A darkly majestic beginning, it draws us closer before we are hit with the heavier riffs of Ascent.
Ascent – already released as a single – is a weighty, imposing song that, in some ways, reminds me of Death Cult Armageddon or Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia. It finds a balance between the band’s black metal roots and their love of symphonics. At no point do the lavish keyboards overwhelm the rest of the instruments and Shagrath’s voice is clearly audible throughout. The guitar solo is also well positioned and brilliantly executed. Lyrically, the song addresses the renewal previously mentioned. Silenoz states, “Ascent is about the grand serpent rising through your spinal cord. It is not a pretty experience but it is a necessary one - in order to reach higher consciousness and levels of understanding. It’s a voyage of transformation and surrender.” Powerful and epic in nature, Ascent is an excellent guitar driven track that illustrates the thought that has gone into the arrangement.
As Seen In The Unseen begins with acoustic guitar and builds gradually over its first ninety seconds before icy black metal riffs descend and Shagrath’s venomous rasps change the mood entirely. With a feeling of urgency, the verses conjure images of running through a barren, snow covered forest with something invisible in pursuit. Choruses are a little more grandiose but – as with Ascent – these do not become overly intrusive and the tenebrous shroud remains. The Qryptfarer plays with dynamics, tempos and changing tones one minute heavily orchestral, the next heavier and intense, with distantly whispered words and rapid riffs. A complex track, it adds to the varied nature of Grand Serpent Rising but certainly requires repeated listens to work out everything that is happening.
Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel – which was released as the first single – has already divided fans. Without doubt, it is one of the more accessible tracks here and harks back to the heavy use of symphonics on Abrahadabra. Nevertheless, in the context of the album it works well and further highlights the diversity that the band wished to display. Shagrath comments on the two singles, "Musically, Ascent is more ferocious and direct than Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel. Together, the two tracks showcase the musical scope of the album in a great way. From the outset, we’ve said that Grand Serpent Rising stands as one of our most diverse records to date, and these songs underline exactly that." Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel allows each member the opportunity to showcase their significant musical prowess with the central piano section and the thoughtful lead guitar work being among the most prominent.
Alongside the beautifully brooding Slik Minnes en Aklymist, Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel is sung in Norwegian. “These songs could have been in English but our native language felt more appropriate for certain subjects. Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel, for example, deals with heritage and bloodline, passing something essential on to those who come after you.”
As the album progresses, Dimmu Borgir continue to inject it with variety, as shown by a trio of tracks in the middle of the album. Repository of Divine Transmutation moves through several phases. From the gothic subtleties of the acoustic opening to sweeping dual guitar solos via the spectral intensity of Gerlioz’s keyboards, it will keep listeners guessing as to where it is heading next. Phantom of the Nemesis is a little more primitive in approach with crystalline orchestrations, guttural chants and precise, propulsive percussion from Daray. The Exonerated is the most direct and plainly structured song but this allows for elements such as a lengthier guitar solo and those who favour resonant spoken voice moments, of which there are several, will certainly enjoy this one.
Recognizant and At The Precipice of Convergence have some of the best work from bassist Victor and producer Fredrik Nordström – who worked with the band on Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, Death Cult Armageddon and In Sorte Diaboli – has helped make Grand Serpent Rising one of the band’s strongest albums from a sonic perspective. “He knows us and the sound we’re after,” Silenoz says. We drifted apart for a time while working with other people, but when he remixed Puritanical a few years back, it reminded us just how strong our connection still was. Working with him again felt completely natural and the results couldn't be better.”
The penultimate track Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions encapsulates a wide range of the different aspects we have heard so far. During the almost ritualistic introduction, dark ethereal voices combine with a foreboding piano motif that leads us towards the chugging riffs of the first verse. Glacial glissando violins, a quieter central section and heavier conclusion all intertwine to produces the album’s most diverse moment. Instrumental Gjǫll ends Grand Serpent Rising in immersive, cinematic fashion. Owls call in the distance as elegiac strings swell and recede, casting a haunting, sorrow-tinged beauty.
Grand Serpent Rising finds Dimmu Borgir reasserting its identity with a clearer sense of intent. “One of the biggest differences compared to Eonian,” Silenoz notes, “is that we scaled back the choirs and orchestration a little. Those elements are essential to Dimmu Borgir, of course, but this time they appear only where they truly add power. And when they hit, you really feel it.” I certainly agree, and for the most part this approach pays off, even if there are passages where those elements may not land for everyone. Much will come down to which era of the band you gravitate towards.
There are clear nods to the past in the three-word title and the inclusion of Norwegian tracks, yet this does not feel like nostalgia for its own sake. Guitarist Damage makes some notable contributions, stepping into Galder’s role without disrupting that continuity. The running time proves demanding, not because of any lack of ideas but simply due to how much there is to absorb; some listeners may find their attention wavering by the time they reach The Exonerated. However, while it may not reach the level of some their earlier classics, Grand Serpent Rising is a far more convincing and compelling album that Eonian and the diversity on shown cannot be denied. A welcome return and an extremely solid addition to the band’s legacy.
Grand Serpent Rising is released on 22nd May 2026.
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