Dimmu Borgir

The Start

Jan 1, 1993

Shagrath, Silenoz, Tjodalv from Oslo, Norway formed the melodic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir. In Icelandic folklore the Dimmuborgir is said to connect earth with the infernal regions, and is the purported dwelling-place of elves, trolls, and Santa Claus/Father Christmas. People also say that Dimmuborgir is the entrance to hell. "Dimmu Borgir" means "Dark Cities" or "Dark Fortresses" in Icelandic and Old Norse.

Inn i evighetens morke "Into the Darkness of Eternity"

Jan 1, 1994

The first EP by Dimmu, released by Necromantic Gallery Productions in 1994 on 7" vinyl strictly limited to 1000 hand-numbered copies.

Release of For All Tid, "For All Time"

Mar 14, 1994

The first studio album created by Dimmu. was re-released in 1997 when they gained their new label from Nuclear Blast The artwork displayed on the front cover of the album is inspired by Gustave Dor's illustration of Camelot from Idylls of the King.

Release of Devi'ls Path

Mar 14, 1996

An EP originally released in 1996 by Hot Records.

Release Of Stormblast, "Stormblown"

May 7, 1996

The album is sung entirely in the band's native language, Norwegian, and was their last album to be completely in Norwegian instead of English.

Re-release of For All Tid

Jun 24, 1996

The album was re-released under Nuclear Blast.

Release of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant

May 30, 1997

First release on Nuclear Blast Records aswell as the first ttheir first full-length to contain lyrics in English. It's also the first album to show the new logo design.

Release of Godless Savage Garden

Aug 4, 1998

Compilation album featuring 4 songs that were recorded at the same time they recorded Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, aswell as 5 live tracks.

Release of Spiritual Black Dimensions

Mar 2, 1999

First foray into speed-laden black metal, and since much of their old material was slower and more doomy in approach. The song "Grotesquery Conceiled" was played live when Dimmu Borgir won the Norwegian grammy award called spellemannsprisen in category metal in 1999. The band where supposed to play with the symphony orchestra called "Kringkastings orkesteret", but they had to change the song due to the fact that the orchestra denied to preform with Dimmu Borgir due to their "satanic" message.

Release of Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

Mar 20, 2001

This album showed a radical departure from previous albums and the new lyrics also masked much of the band's overt Satanism and anti-Christian views. Ring of Honor wrestling star Delirious uses their song "Hybrid Stigmata - The Apostasy" as his entrance music. "Puritania" was also used as deathmatch wrestling icon Brandon Prophet's exclusive entrance music from its release until June of 2006. "Puritania" is currently being used as the entrance music of 1PW wrestling faction The Damned Nation.

Release of Alive In Torment

Apr 4, 2001

live limited shape EP recorded in Stuttgart, Germany on 4 April 2001

Release of World Misanthopy

May 28, 2002

live DVD set was released as a two disc set, with early pressings featuring the bonus CD, a VHS and the bonus disc separately as a limited edition clear 12" vinyl with white and green streaked spots with only 2000 copies pressed. It was filmed during the tour to support the album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia while the second disc is a compilation of videos from previous tours and other media.

Release of Death Cult Armageddon

Sep 8, 2003

Artwork was done by Swiss artist Joachim Luetke. Most of the songs have a common apocalyptic theme. The prior song featuring additional vocals from Abbath; along with "Heavenly Perverse"; being used, with "Eradication Instincts Defined", as background music in the Hellboy film trailer and was featured on the TV show Battle for Ozzfest. "Eradication Instincts Defined" was also used in a trailer for the film Stardust. Parts of the album were recorded with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Re-release of Stormblast

Nov 11, 2005

The album was re-recorded entirely by Silenoz and Shagrath with guest appearances from Hellhammer and Mustis. The instrumental "Sorgens kammer" from the original album could not be rerecorded due to copyright issues associated with the 1992 Amiga game Agony, as then-keyboardist Stian Aarstad had passed the song off as his own.[citation needed] Similarly, the intro to "Alt lys er svunnet hen" had been plagiarized from the song "Sacred Hour" by Magnum and was also left off the rerecording.

Release of In Sorte Diaboli

Apr 24, 2007

Translates to "In Direct Contact With Satan" in Latin. Seventh studio album and the band's first concept album. In the United States, the album debuted at number 43 on the Billboard 200, selling about 14,000 copies in its first week.[4]. In their native Norway, the album peaked at number 1, the first time a black metal band has ever done that anywhere in the world. It also marks the first time a Norwegian act has cracked the Billboard 200 since A-Ha.