DIMMU BORGIR Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) CD

In 2001, Dimmu Borgir released the album that either made you a symphonic black metal convert or confirmed you were already beyond saving. Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is the sound of a Norwegian band at their most grandiose and uncompromising, full orchestras and blast beats locked in unholy alliance.

This is the record where the corpse paint met the concert hall and neither blinked. Nick Barker's drumming hits like artillery, Shagrath and Vortex trade vocals across landscapes of genuine menace, and the string arrangements don't soften the darkness so much as weaponise it. Tracks like Præcognition and Puritania remain benchmarks of what the genre can do when it refuses to be small. If you've ever stared at a Caspar David Friedrich painting and felt something stir, this is your soundtrack.

CD, standard jewel case, 2001 Nuclear Blast pressing. Running time approximately 53 minutes.

Fans of: Cradle of Filth, Amon Amarth, Bloodbath, Darkthrone, Emperor