At one point,
Dimmu Borgir were a black metal band. Somewhere around the time of 2001's
Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, though, they became something entirely different, a kind of monument to pomp and grandeur for its own sake. Peaking on 2003's
Death Cult Armageddon and sagging somewhat on the overwrought/underwritten 2007 concept album
In Sorte Diaboli, they've managed to combine black metal with
John Williams-style symphonic stomping. This album, while not quite the equal of
Death Cult Armageddon, does represent a fairly strong comeback. Without changing their style, it's more melodic and even catchier than they're known for being, and the exchanges between lead vocalist
Shagrath (who sounds like a cross between
Laibach's
Milan Fras and Popeye the Sailor) and the trills of the orchestra (real, not synth-based), not to mention the frequent interjections by female voices, make the whole thing almost operatic. Indeed,
Abrahadabra is many things, but it is definitely not a rock album. It takes the pomposity of prog to new extremes, throws classical filigree around like comedian
Rip Taylor hurling confetti, and generally adopts a more-is-more attitude toward every element from riff writing to arrangements. It opens with an instrumental fanfare, and there's a guest vocal spot on
"Ritualist" (by bassist
Snowy Shaw of
Therion) that sounds like
Peter Hammill from
Van der Graaf Generator. It might be goofy as hell, but it's also a lot of fun. ~ Phil Freeman
![Saxon: The Inner Sanctum [CD/DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0693723022727_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Saxon: The Inner Sanctum [CD/DVD]")
