After the thunderous masterpiece of “Death Cult Armageddon”, Norway’s Dimmu Borgir have brought their black metal skills to next level, with an album that will set the bar for the genre even higher than its predecessor. “In Sorte Diaboli” is a concept album about the loss of faith and the discovery of an absolute truth (i.e. Christianity is full of it). The overall theme is not something new for the band or black metal in general; all of the songs have dark themes and anti-religious commentary. But, it is the high level of song writing that makes this album an amazing listening experience. Scorching blast beats, a great mix of growls and melodic vocals, and the grooving riffs the band is known for are only improved by what is possibly Dimmu Borgir’s best offering in terms of production and sound quality. Every single instrument and orchestral part is heard beautifully and the vocal mayhem of Shagrath dominates each song. It’s hard for this front man to lose the audience with his large array of growls and shrieks.

Album opener “The Serpentine Offering” is melodic, heavy, brutal and epic all at the same time. It also gives listeners a great taste of what the rest of the album has to offer. Tracks like “The Chosen Legacy” and “The Sacrilegious Scorn” jerk back and fort with intricate melodies and heavy sections. Aside from great variety found in all the songs, what is most impressive is the band’s ability to make an outplayed theme interesting again.

“In Sorte Diaboli” is an evil and venomous album that is colored with an outstanding production and a level of musicianship that is sorely lacking in most black metal bands these days; hopefully the black metal scene will take notice of this release and follow on its steps.