| Eonian | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 May 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Symphonic black metal | |||
| Length | 54:19 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Dimmu Borgir; co-produced by Jens Bogren | |||
| Dimmu Borgir chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Eonian | ||||
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Eonian is the ninth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, which was released on 4 May 2018. And It's the fifth and final album feature lead guitarist Galder before his departure in August 2024.
Production of Eonian originally started at least in 2012 but faced many delays for years after. However, it was given an eventual official release date of 4 May 2018, which ended up being their first original studio album in nearly 8 years following 2010's Abrahadabra . [1] The band self-produced the album while the engineering was handled by Jens Bogren. Dimmu Borgir had to re-sign to their current label Nuclear Blast and reflect on communication during the eight-year gap. During this gap, three of the band members became fathers and focused on their family life. [2] When describing the album's sound, Silenoz stated that the symphonic metal parts are more symphonic while the black metal sound of Dimmu is more black metal this time around. [3] In April, Dimmu Borgir announced limited tour dates for the month of August 2018 with the band playing shows in Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, and New York City. [4]
The first single from the album, "Interdimensional Summit", was released on 23 February 2018 on 7" vinyl with an accompanying promotional video. [5] The song received a mixed reception from fans due to its inclusion of folk metal elements to the music. [4] The second single, "Council of Wolves and Snakes", was released on 30 March 2018 with an accompanying music video. [6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [7] |
| Exclaim! | 6/10 [8] |
| Metal Hammer | [9] |
| Metal Injection |  [10] |
| Metal Storm | 6.4/10 [11] |
| MetalSucks | [12] |
Eonian received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Jason Deaville of Metal Injection rewarded the album with a perfect 10/10, calling it "a stunning, unparalleled effort that should be heard by any lover of metal, no matter their preferred sub-genre. I'm going to go one further and say that Eonian should be heard by any real lover of music." [10] ScreamingSteelUS of Metal Storm gave the album a 6.4/10 stating that "this is just Nightwish with Emperor Palpatine on vocals" while also finding the choirs to be irritating. [11] Axl Rosenberg of MetalSucks gave the album two out of five stars mentioning that: "Yes, Dimmu are a symphonic band, but while Death Cult Armageddon used the symphony to paint soaring visions of the apocalypse and northern winds ripping your face off, Eonian seems content to use it as a go-to gimmick that does nothing for the atmosphere of the album other than corrode it". He then cited the album as "too happy" and said that if he wanted happy, he would go watch The Wiggles . Max Morin of Exclaim! gave the album a 6/10 citing that "although frontman Shagrath has one of the most recognizable voices in metal, Dimmu haven't replaced the vocals of ICS Vortex, which were the highlight of their best releases". Morin believes that only on the first single, "Interdimensional Summit", is where the symphonic parts of the album hit as they should. [8]
A more positive review came from Dom Lawson of Metal Hammer who gave Eonian four out of five stars noting that the songs on the album are complex and memorable. He commented that "where Abrahadabra occasionally felt over-egged, Eonian is a masterclass in fine details and finesse". [9]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Unveiling" | 5:47 |
| 2. | "Interdimensional Summit" | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Ætheric" | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Council of Wolves and Snakes" | 5:20 |
| 5. | "The Empyrean Phoenix" | 4:44 |
| 6. | "Lightbringer" | 6:06 |
| 7. | "I Am Sovereign" | 6:48 |
| 8. | "Archaic Correspondence" | 4:55 |
| 9. | "Alpha Aeon Omega" | 5:18 |
| 10. | "Rite of Passage" | 5:16 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [13] | 10 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [14] | 21 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [15] | 52 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) [16] | 70 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [17] | 64 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [18] | 4 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] | 4 |
| Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [20] | 24 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI) [21] | 87 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [22] | 2 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) [23] | 29 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [24] | 29 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [25] | 91 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [26] | 32 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [27] | 5 |
| Swiss Albums (Romandie) [28] | 1 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [29] | 73 |
| US Billboard 200 [30] | 142 |
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The band has been through numerous lineup changes over the years; vocalist Shagrath and rhythm guitarist Silenoz are the only original members who still remain.
Death Cult Armageddon is the sixth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released on 9 September 2003. It has since sold over 100,000 copies in the United States; the first album under Nuclear Blast to do so; and debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number 169. The song "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse" was released as a single with an accompanying music video. This would also be the last album to have Nicholas Barker on drums.
Stian Tomt Thoresen, known professionally as Shagrath, is a Norwegian musician. He is the vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir and Also, founding member, rhythm guitarist and bassist of Chrome Division.
Stormblåst is the second studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released on 25 January 1996 through Cacophonous Records, re-released in 2001 by Century Media, and completely re-recorded in 2005, released as Stormblåst MMV.
For all tid is the debut studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released in 1995 through No Colours. It was remastered and re-released in 1997 through their new label Nuclear Blast with the front cover art in full color and the entire Inn i evighetens mørke EP added. It is the band's only studio album on which Shagrath is on drums, Tjodalv on guitar and Silenoz on vocals.
Spiritual Black Dimensions is the fourth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released in 1999 by Nuclear Blast Records. A deluxe edition was released in 2004 with bonus material. There is also a digipak edition of this album which contains no bonus tracks. The digipak has reflective/holographic cover art. This release featured keyboardist Mustis and the clean vocals of ICS Vortex, as well as the departure of long-time drummer Tjodalv, guitarist Astennu, and bassist Nagash.
Inn i evighetens mørke is the first EP by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was first released as a demo in August 1994, and later as an EP on 17 December. The EP was released by Necromantic Gallery Productions on 7-inch vinyl limited to 1000 copies.
Enthrone Darkness Triumphant is the third studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released on 30 May 1997 through Nuclear Blast. It was the band's first release through Nuclear Blast. This is the last release to feature keyboardist Stian Aarstad and the first with bassist Nagash.
Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia is the fifth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released by Nuclear Blast Records in 2001. This is the first album to feature drummer Nicholas Barker, guitarist Galder, and ICS Vortex on bass. It is also the first album upon which the band used real orchestral instrumentation instead of keyboards.
Devil's Path is the second EP by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was originally released in 1996 by Hot Records. This album was reissued in 1999 along with the Old Man's Child Split EP In the Shades of Life, eventually becoming known as Sons of Satan Gather for Attack. The title track would later be re-recorded and released as part of the special edition of their album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia.
Silenoz is a Norwegian guitarist who is a founding member, along with Shagrath and Tjodalv, of the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, of which he is the primary songwriter. He is also guitarist for the death metal supergroup Insidious Disease.
Tom Rune Andersen, also known by his stage name Galder, is a Norwegian guitarist and vocalist. He is from the small town of Jessheim, north of Oslo. He is a founding member of the melodic black metal band Old Man's Child as well as the lead guitarist of Dimmu Borgir from 2000 to 2024. In 1993, under the stage name Grusom, he, Jardar, and Tjodalv created Old Man's Child. On Old Man's Child albums, he has performed vocals, guitars, bass, and keyboards, though with a full line-up, his primary instruments are guitar and keyboards, as well as vocals. He joined Dimmu Borgir in 2000 but has kept Old Man's Child active.
Alive in Torment is the third EP by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was recorded in Stuttgart, Germany on 4 April 2001, during the tour supporting their fifth studio album Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia.
Chrome Division is a Norwegian rock band formed in 2004. The current lineup consists of founding member Shagrath on rhythm guitar, along with Eddie Guz as the vocalist, Mr Damage on lead guitar and Tony White on drums. The band has released five albums through Nuclear Blast: Doomsday Rock 'n Roll in 2006, Booze, Broads and Beelzebub in 2008, 3rd Round Knockout in 2011, Infernal Rock Eternal in 2014, and One Last Ride in 2018. The band announced that their fifth album would be their last.
In Sorte Diaboli is the seventh studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released in 2007. It is the band's first concept album. A site on the Nuclear Blast website was created for In Sorte Diaboli, in which a new promotional photo can be seen and an audio sample can be heard. This would be the last album by Dimmu Borgir to feature ICS Vortex, Hellhammer and Mustis.
Astennu is the professional name of Australian heavy metal musician Jamie Stinson. His name is derived from a creature in Egyptian mythology.
The Invaluable Darkness is the second video album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released on October 14, 2008. The title comes from the closing track of In Sorte Diaboli, their eighth and most recent studio album at the time, despite the fact that the track does not appear on this release.
The discography of Dimmu Borgir, a Norwegian symphonic black metal band, consists of nine studio albums, four extended plays, one compilation album, six singles and three music videos.
Abrahadabra is the eighth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released in 2010. The first single from the album, "Gateways", was released on 20 August in Europe and 24 August in North America. On 14 September a video for "Gateways" was released featuring Djerv front-woman, Agnete Kjølsrud. On 17 September the song "Born Treacherous" was released on Dimmu Borgir's official Myspace for streaming. On 24 September the band announced they would stream Abrahadabra in its entirety, until 7 p.m. EST that evening. This would mark the first official release of all the tracks on the album. The album features drummer Daray and additional keyboards by Gerlioz.
