Dimmu Borgir (16 and Over)

Sun Tzu said:"Those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him."Founded in 1993 by Shagrath, Silenoz, and Tjodalv and named after unusually shaped lava fields and rock formations east of Lake Myvatn in Iceland, Norway's DiMMU BORGiR made their debut into the underground metal scene via unofficial rehearsal cassette tapes in 1993. inspired by incarnations of black metal from the '80s and '90s and inspired by the works of classical composers such as Wagner and Dvorak, the band's music was resplendent in its raw & melodic vocals, somber guitar work, destructive drums, and haunting keyboard melodies. Less than a year later, the band recorded their full-length debut, For All Tid, to wild acclaim. While the band's reputation gained momentum throughout Scandinavia and the rest of the tape-trading underground world, DiMMU BORGiR focused their energies on recording what would become one of the most essential albums in black metal history, Stormblast. While sung completely in Norwegian, it catapulted them out of Europe and into international waters. Displaying a marked escalation in their time signatures, DiMMU BORGiR made significant headway in developing a classically influenced sound that would become their intrinsic, defining blueprint.Following Stormblast, DiMMU BORGiR recorded their first material featuring English lyrics for the 1996 mini-CD entitled Devil's Path, which later got them signed to the independent record label Nuclear Blast. Their third full-length album (now considered an all-time classic), Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, was recorded with living legend Peter Tagtgren at the helm in Abyss Studios. After its release, it marked the band's significant international breakthrough with over 150,000 copies sold plus chart entries all over the world. 1997 also included performances at some of the most esteemed European summer gatherings such as Holland's Dynamo, Germany's With Full Force and Wacken Open Air festivals,…