DIMMU BORGIR @ Academy 2 Birmingham 27/11/11

Now this is a proper tour.

Not for Dimmu Borgir the “do three cities and bugger off home” that most bands seem to do these days, not at all. Rather this has been a proper jaunt. Taking in places like Colchester, Norwich and Brighton on their way to laying waste to the UK.

This is the final night on the mainland before heading to Ireland for a couple of shows and it is being billed as “An Evening With Dimmu Borgir,” which although it initially reminds RTM of one of those horrible Saturday night TV shows like “An Audience with Victoria Wood” it essentially just means they are playing two sets with no support.

The first half is a run through the entire “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” album from 1997. This has been voted for by fans through Facebook who were given a choice of three early albums to pick from that the band would in turn play.

So they stroll out on stage and launch straight into “Mourning Palace” with the stage bathed in red light. This sets the tone for the evening, six blokes dressed in corpse paint with the stage bathed in dark colours, and some of the best Black Metal songs ever written.

Vocalist and main man Shagrath is very big man indeed and he stalks about as some kind of extreme metal Ozzy Osbourne. He wants to “see our horns” he wants us to “scream” and bang our heads to the thrash masterpiece that is “Tormentor of Christian Souls.” And with half an eye on the pantomime he dedicates “A Succubus in Rapture” to “all the beautiful ladies in here tonight.”

This alone would have made for a good value and great show but after a 10 minute break they are back, well to be precise, drummer Daray is, playing a fabulous solo. He is soon joined by the rest of band for part two, which is a real “greatest hits” 50 minute run through of some fine songs.

Three from last years “Abrahadabra” are aired with “Ritualist” particually impressive. The twin gutairists Silenoz and Galder really combine superbly with keyboard man Geriloz thoughout.

They finish with an encore of “The Serpentine Offering” and “The Progenies of the Great Apocolypse” and its all over. An hour and 50 minutes of Dimmu Borgir is indeed a fine way to spend an evening.