Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim. Formed in 1993, the group was originally a trio which featured Sven Atle "Erkekjetter Silenoz" Kopperud on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Ian Kenneth "Tjodalv" Åkesson on lead guitar, and Stian Tomt "Shagrath" Thoresen on drums. They were soon joined by bassist Ivar "Brynjard" Tristan and keyboardist Stian Aarstad. The band's current lineup is officially a trio comprising Shagrath on lead vocals, Silenoz on rhythm guitar and Tom Rune "Galder" Anderson on lead guitar (since 2000). They are joined by backup members Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski on drums (since 2008), Geir "Gerlioz" Bratland on keyboards (since 2010) and Victor Brandt on bass (since 2018).
Silenoz, Tjodalv and Shagrath formed Dimmu Borgir in 1993, finalising the band's initial lineup with the addition of Tristan and Aarstad shortly thereafter.[1] After the group released several early demos and its debut album For all tid, Tjodalv and Shagrath switched roles in the lineup.[2] Shortly after the release of the band's second album Stormblåst, Tristan was replaced by Stian "Nagash" Hinderson for the recording of the Devil's Path EP.[3] Enthrone Darkness Triumphant followed in early 1997, the tour for which saw the addition of Jamie "Astennu" Stinson on lead guitar.[1]
During the tour in promotion of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, Aarstad was fired from Dimmu Borgir after failing to show up for the band's performance at Dynamo Open Air in May 1997. He was temporarily replaced by Kimberly Goss, most recently of Therion, for the remainder of the cycle.[4] Early the next year, Øyvind Johan "Mustis" Mustaparta took over full-time.[5] After the recording of 1999's Spiritual Black Dimensions, both Tjodalv and Nagash left Dimmu Borgir.[6] They were replaced on the subsequent tour by Nicholas Barker and Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs, respectively.[1] [7]
At the end of 1999, Astennu was fired from Dimmu Borgir, which Barker claimed was due to his lack of interest in the band.[7] He was replaced initially early the next year by Lars Archon, before Tom Rune "Galder" Anderson took over in the summer.[8] The lineup of Shagrath, Galder, Silenoz, Vortex, Mustis and Barker remained stable for several years, releasing the albums Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia, World Misanthropy and Death Cult Armageddon.[5] In January 2004, Barker was dismissed from the band, which he suggested was likely due to the fact that he lived in a different country.[9]
Despite an early rumour that Barker's place had been taken by Asgeir Mickelson, a bandmate of ICS Vortex's in Borknagar,[10] it was announced in March that the new temporary touring drummer was Reno Kiilerich, most notably of Panzerchrist.[11] After he was unable to obtain a US visa in time for the tour, the drummer was replaced for Ozzfest in the summer by Tony Laureano of Nile.[12] Laureano remained for live shows the following summer, while Mayhem drummer Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg was brought in to record Stormblåst MMV as a guest session contributor.[13]
Hellhammer continued working with Dimmu Borgir for the album In Sorte Diaboli and subsequent tour dates, although he never became an official band member.[14] When he broke his arm in June 2007, he was replaced by the returning Tony Laureano.[15] [16] By October 2008, he had been replaced in the touring lineup by former Vader drummer Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski.[17] At the end of August 2009, long-term members ICS Vortex and Mustis were both dismissed.[18] The remaining band members later claimed that the pair had displayed "unprofessionalism and bad live performances for years".[19]
In 2010, Vortex and Mustis were replaced by Tommie "Snowy Shaw" Helgesson and Geir "Gerlioz" Bratland, respectively, although both were credited as guest performers (alongside Daray) and the band's frontman Shagrath confirmed that only he, Silenoz and Galder were official members of the group.[20] Shaw left in August and was replaced on tour by Susperia frontman Terje "Cyrus" Andersen.[21] He remained until May 2018, when he was replaced by Victor Brandt (of Firespawn and formerly of Entombed A.D.).[22]
On August 18, 2024, Galder announced via his Instagram account that he had left Dimmu Borgir, playing his last show the day before at Dynamo Metal Fest.
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shagrath | 1993–present | all Dimmu Borgir releases | ||
| Erkekjetter Silenoz |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tjodalv | 1993–1999 | ||||
| Stian Aarstad | 1993–1997 | all Dimmu Borgir releases from Rehearsal January 1994 (1994) to Live & Plugged, Vol. 2 (1997), except Devil's Path (1996) | |||
| Brynjard Tristan | 1993–1996 | bass | all Dimmu Borgir releases from Rehearsal January 1994 (1994) to Stormblåst (1996) | ||
| Nagash | 1996–1999 | ||||
| Astennu | 1997–1999 | lead guitar | |||
| Mustis | 1998–2009 | ||||
| ICS Vortex | 1999–2009 | all Dimmu Borgir releases from Spiritual Black Dimensions (1999) to The Invaluable Darkness (2008), except Stormblåst MMV (2005) | |||
| Nicholas Barker | 1999–2004 | all Dimmu Borgir releases from Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) to Death Cult Armageddon (2003) | |||
| Lars Archon | 2000 | lead guitar | none | ||
| Galder | 2000–2024 | all Dimmu Borgir releases from Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) to Inspiratio Profanus (2023), except Stormblåst MMV (2005) and Live at Dynamo Open Air 1998 (2019) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimberly Goss | 1997–1998 | Goss temporarily toured with Dimmu Borgir after Stian Aarstad was fired from the band in May 1997. | |||
| Aggressor | 1997 | drums | Aggressor briefly substituted for Tjodalv in 1997, after he took a sabbatical to be with his newborn child. | ||
| Reno Kiilerich | 2004 | After Nicholas Barker was dismissed in January 2004, Kiilerich briefly joined as a touring replacement. | |||
| Tony Laureano | Laureano took over from Kiilerich due to a visa issue, then from Hellhammer after he broke his arm. | ||||
| Hellhammer | 2005–2007 | ||||
| Daray | 2008–present | ||||
| Snowy Shaw | 2010 | Abrahadabra (2010) | |||
| Secthdamon | 2007 | Secthdamon handled the live bass on Dimmu Borgir's European Tour in 2007, when ICS Vortex was not able to play. | |||
| Cyrus | 2010–2018 | Forces of the Northern Night (2017) | |||
| 2010–present | |||||
| Victor Brandt | 2018–present | bass | none to date |
| Album | Lead vocals | Lead guitar | Rhythm guitar | Bass | Keyboards | Drums |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inn i evighetens mørke (1994) | Silenoz | Tjodalv | Silenoz | Brynjard Tristan | Stian Aarstad | Shagrath |
| For all tid (1995) | ||||||
| Stormblåst (1996) | Shagrath | Tjodalv | ||||
| Devil's Path (1996) | Shagrath | Nagash | ||||
| Enthrone Darkness Triumphant (1997) | ||||||
| Godless Savage Garden (1998) | Astennu | |||||
| Spiritual Black Dimensions (1999) | Mustis | |||||
| Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) | Galder | ICS Vortex | Nicholas Barker | |||
| Death Cult Armageddon (2003) | ||||||
| Stormblåst MMV (2005) | Shagrath | Shagrath | Hellhammer | |||
| In Sorte Diaboli (2007) | Galder | ICS Vortex | ||||
| Abrahadabra (2010) | Snowy Shaw | Gerlioz | Daray | |||
| Eonian (2018) | Shagrath/Galder/Silenoz |
| Period | Members | Releases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | none | ||
| 1993 – summer 1995 |
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| Summer 1995 – early 1996 |
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| Early 1996 – early 1997 |
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| March – May 1997 |
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| Summer 1997 – early 1998 |
| none | |
| Early 1998 – March 1999 |
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| March – late 1999 |
| none | |
| Late 1999 – summer 2000 |
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| Summer 2000 – January 2004 |
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| March – July 2004 |
| none | |
| July 2004 – April 2005 |
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| April – August 2005 |
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| August 2005 – June 2007 |
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| June 2007 – October 2008 |
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| October 2008 – August 2009 |
| none | |
| Early – August 2010 |
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| September 2010 – May 2018 |
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| May 2018 – August 2024 |
| none | |
| August 2024 – present |
| none to date |