I couldn't count the years since I've gone back to the roots of my eternally adored Dimmu Borgir. Before they became a powerhouse of modern Metal drenched in devilish symphony, the Norwegians had a murky start. You could never have predicted their trajectory from this humble origin but their sophomore effort Stormblast would shine bright before the modernization of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant occurred. Inn I Evighetens Morke is a short, three track EP that kicked things off. I can't do much to defend it other than express my deep attachment to its gloomy nature, which sparked my curious adolescent mind as I discovered the world of Black Metal.
The first song is the unique experience. For a band joining a scene of new found extremities, its opening number broods on a slow tempo. A morbid piano sequence kicks things off. Distortion guitars become a distant haze under the the warm bleeding baseline. Esoteric synths arises, glum acoustic chords cry as they are plucked. The song swiftly lulls into a depressive tone of death and suffering. All achieved without blast beats, screams and other tropes, its an interesting conjuring that rides a little charm of the amateurish production as the instruments muddy together.
Its second half ups the metallic intensity. Shagrath's barely competent drumming barrages one with plenty of tom rolls in shuffling beats. Any attempt at a blast beat get drowned out as the production fails but also masks the shoddy performance. Silenoz howls harsh, higher pitched screams upfront while churning through lively power chord riffs. The eerie synths struggle to punctuate and the whole song lacks the majesty to leave anything remarkable in mind other than its mystic, quirky nature.
The final Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde shows class, a curious arrangement of synths and power chords with direction and structure that bring it to a "break down" conclusion. Shagraths drumming is miles better, a tighter performance with more interesting grooves. Again without blast beats the band linger in the Black Metal realm through its symphonic spin off and the harshness of Silenoz's vocals. Otherwise it comes offs as dark and dingy oddity. Of course this song stood the test of time, being re-recorded a couple of times for future records. It is blemished in this incarnation which was a very amateurish start but a fun one for a die hard fan.
Rating: 5/10