August 11, 2026
Dimmu Borgir Bring 30 Years of Darkness to Montreal
On a Tuesday night, with a workday looming for many the following morning, Montreal’s Mtelus was transformed into a cathedral of darkness as Norwegian symphonic black metal veterans Dimmu Borgir brought their ‘Grand Serpent Rising’ tour to town.
Originally billed with Sweden’s Hypocrisy as direct support, the tour suffered a last-minute blow when the band was forced to withdraw from the North American dates because of visa issues. That left Hulder to set the tone for the evening, and they did so spectacularly.
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Furthermore, American death metal stalwarts Suffocation who were playing the US leg of the tour weren’t included on the Canadian side of things either, meaning that the tour was suddenly very short on fire power.
Hulder
Hulder, the black metal project led by Marliese Beeuwsaert, was utterly mesmerizing. Her flowing hair cascaded nearly to her knees, creating an almost supernatural silhouette as she moved through the set, while the equally impressive mane of the co-conspirator Necreon beside her added to the visual spectacle. The music was appropriately bleak and atmospheric, but it was Beeuwsaert’s commanding presence that made it impossible to look away.
Then came Dimmu Borgir.
More than three decades after forming in Norway in 1993, the band remains one of symphonic black metal’s defining acts. Founding members, frontman Shagrath and guitarist Silenoz continue to anchor the group, joined onstage by longtime touring musicians Daray on drums, Gerlioz on keyboards, Victor Brandt on bass and Damage on lead guitar.
With the band’s new album ‘Grand Serpent Rising’ marking their first full-length release in eight years, the set balanced newer material with songs from throughout their formidable catalogue. The result was suitably massive: layers of symphonic atmosphere, punishing guitars and Shagrath’s unmistakable vocals filling the room.
The crowd was overwhelmingly male, but beneath all the corpse paint and intimidating black metal attire was an unexpectedly tender side. There is something oddly heartwarming about watching a big, burly metalhead get genuinely emotional when his favourite song comes on, and judging by the number of misty-eyed faces in the room, Dimmu Borgir had that effect on people.
Of course, there was plenty of violence of the strictly recreational variety. The mosh pit raged relentlessly, and from the balcony it looked almost surreal: a couple of mountain-sized guys calmly pacing around the perimeter while everyone else buzzed around them like furious bees.
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And then, just before 10 p.m., it was over. An unusually civilized ending for a metal show, but perhaps a mercy for some of us in the audience who had to be functional humans again the next morning.
More than three decades into the band’s career, Dimmu Borgir showed that time hasn’t softened their edge. If anything, the darkness has only grown more commanding.
