Dimmu Borgir

Norway’s Dimmu Borgir helped elevate symphonic black metal’s mainstream credibility with 1997’s Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. Released on the respected label Nuclear Blast, the full-length paired punishing riffs with dramatic keyboards and orchestral flourishes, marking full realisation of a vision they had been fine-tuning for nearly a half-decade. Vocalist Shagrath and guitarist Silenoz cofounded Dimmu Borgir with several other musicians in Jessheim in 1993; their debut album, For all tid, hewed toward thrashing black metal. In the period after Enthrone Darkness Triumphant’s success, Dimmu Borgir kept pushing themselves creatively while navigating lineup changes. The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra joined the band for multiple tracks on 2003's Death Cult Armageddon, while the intricate 2007 concept album In Sorte Diaboli topped the Norwegian charts. Special events, including concerts with a symphony orchestra and a choir, kept fans sated during the eight-year gap between new albums that ended with the 2018 release of Eonian.