Interview by Kris Peters
Waiting for something you truly desire can be pure agony and loyal fans of Norwegian extreme metal royalty Dimmu Borgir know that feeling better than most. Ever since guitarist Sven “Silenoz” Kopperud and vocalist Stian “Shagrath” Thoresen formed the band amid Norway’s shadowed forestlands in 1993 - at the height of second-wave black metal’s triumphant aeons - rushing the creative process has never been part of the equation.
Especially since Abrahadabra (2010), Dimmu Borgir’s latter-day opuses have arrived only when every last detail has been carved into place, never when trends, algorithms, or schedules demanded it. It has proven to be the right path for these northern devotees of the underworld: Dimmu Borgir’s records have gone on to become all-time metal classics.
Eight years after their previous studio release Eonian, Dimmu Borgir return with thirteen punishing yet remarkably diverse tracks under the banner Grand Serpent Rising on May 22, and even the sheer weight of the album title alone speaks volumes.
HEAVY caught up with Silenoz to find out more, asking him to describe Grand Serpent Rising from a musical point of view and what Dimmu Borgir were going for with it.
"I think we've just approached it like we always approach a new album," he shrugged. "We don't really have a specific recipe in that sense. We get together with stuff that we have collected individually and basically throw it into the pot and stir around and see what brew comes out of it in the end. It's nothing more dramatical than that. But yeah, some songs needs a little bit more time than others. It all it all depends. You don't really have an off and on switch or creative button, so to speak. So you just have to try and go about it while the iron is hot, so to speak."
In the full interview, Silenoz described Grand Serpent Rising's background and the band's plans around its release. He revealed the album gathers songs written over several years and that the band achieved its creative aims for this release; explaining Dimmu Borgir's process of assembling individual ideas without a fixed recipe, allowing songs to mature at different rates and intentionally showcasing the band's different eras and dynamics.
The conversation covered artistic choices and practical changes. Silenoz explained the opening string-led intro for Tridentium and the decision to keep the album lengthy rather than shorten it for attention-span concerns, and noted that the title serves lyrical depth rather than denoting a title track. He also described a shift in songwriting responsibility toward himself and Shagrath after longtime guitarist Galder's departure, the selective use of Norwegian when English did not convey feelings on some songs, plans for shorter, more frequent touring runs following the May 22 release and more.
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