True, it did go Number 1 in Norway - but this is in NO way a sell-out album...the only thing I dislke about the album is the artificial orchestration, but that's easily forgiven when one is pelted to the wall with rifts and blasting drums.

The vocals are the same as any black metal if I'm honest - but there is only one band that has unique vocals to me, and that is Cradle.

Anyway, back on the good points.

The presentation is luxerious. One could simply explore it for days, the mirror, the symoblogy, the way it is written - priceless!

Moreover, the fact that the album has complex song structure and is, indeed, a GOOD concept album (the only other I've heard by black / extreme metal is Damnation and a Day) makes one see this is an achivement.

For Fans of : Cradle of Filth, Emperor, Gloomy Grim, Gorogroth
Best Track : Sacroligious Scorn

This album is Insane. thats all you can say about it to be honest.

Hellhammer is one of the better things to happen to Dimmu, yeah this album is a lighter Dimmu Borgir and theyre not excatly black metal anymore, but they sound like no one else. with the Double bass goin at 260BPM at some points on this album y would you not wanna listen and appreciate how sick this album is. Vortex sounds great as ever such a insane vocalist and bass player. Shagrath isnt as mean as he used to be But vocals still blow mw away. The Serptine Offering is Insane the video aswell which is another reason you should buy this CD/DVD package, as you get the video and making of the video as well as the making of the album which lets you see behind the corpse paint and whta actually goes on in the studio of Dimmu Borgir.

Seriously buy this album.

Also try theyre best albums

Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia

&

Enthrone Triumphant Darknesss

&

Stormblast

when i heard this was gonna be a concept album with the whole album being a story i thought wow!, but could it beat the brilliance that was Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia the answer is that it went a completely different way from PEM but is still frakin awesome and with the power coming from this album u just can't help but start headbanging to it. Dimmu continue to be the kings of black metal in my view.