Enthrone Darkness Triumphant by Dimmu Borgir

Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, Dimmu Borgir's third album, came out on 30 May 1997, their first for Nuclear Blast, and it's the Norwegian symphonic black metal band stepping out of the forest and into the spotlight. Peter Tägtgren produced it at Abyss Studio in Sweden, the first time they'd worked there, and while the songwriting doesn't stray far from Stormblåst the year before, the sound is sharper, heavier and far more vicious.

It was also a record of firsts and lasts: the first full-length with English lyrics, the first with Shagrath as lead vocalist, the first with bassist Nagash and the last with keyboardist Stian Aarstad, with Silenoz on guitar and Tjodalv on drums. "Mourning Palace" is the grand, cold centerpiece. Between that muscle and a new label's marketing push, this is the album that turned the Jessheim band from cult concern into a breakthrough act.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.