Dimmu Borgir Grand Serpent Rising
Consensus is still forming across 4 professional reviews. Dimmu Borgir's Grand Serpent Rising announces a forceful comeback, trading guileless reinvention for a calibrated return to the symphonic black metal hallmarks that defined the band's peak. Across professional reviews, critics praise the record's grandiose orchestrations and inventive riffcraft, noting that the band ba
The best song is “Ascent” because its opening riff immediately signals a triumphant return and showcases Silenoz's renewed riff-writing.
The album's core strengths are tightened arrangements, a balance of earthiness and grandeur, and confident, immersive writing.
Best for listeners looking for comeback and return to roots, starting with Ascent and Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel.
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Full consensus notes
Dimmu Borgir's Grand Serpent Rising announces a forceful comeback, trading guileless reinvention for a calibrated return to the symphonic black metal hallmarks that defined the band's peak. Across professional reviews, critics praise the record's grandiose orchestrations and inventive riffcraft, noting that the band balances orchestral restraint with moments of raw, hammering intensity to memorable effect.
The critical consensus — a 79/100 score across four professional reviews — emphasizes standout tracks that repeatedly surface in coverage: “Ascent”, “Phantom of the Nemesis”, and “The Qryptfarer”. Reviewers consistently point to “Ascent” as one of the best songs on Grand Serpent Rising, lauding its scything riffs and immediacy, while “Phantom of the Nemesis” earns praise for unsettling, florid orchestration. Critics note the album's length and complexity, with some suggesting the 69-minute runtime could be tightened, but most agree that patience is rewarded by lush passages like “As Seen in the Unseen” and the soaring melodies on “Slik Minnes en Alkymist”.
While perspectives vary in enthusiasm, reviewers agree the record functions as both nostalgia and transformation: a reunion with early-2000s vigor tempered by modern production and lineup changes. Some critics frame Grand Serpent Rising as a reclamation and one of Dimmu Borgir's stronger recent efforts, others temper that praise with notes about pacing. Taken together, the professional reviews suggest the album is worth listening to for fans seeking inventive riffs, symphonic sweep, and a confident return to form.
Below, detailed reviews unpack the moments that make Grand Serpent Rising a noteworthy chapter in the band's catalogue.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Ascent
3 mentions
"Once ‘Ascent’ hits you with that first riff, you know you're in for an absolute treat."— Sputnik Music
Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
1 mention
"monstrous single "Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel"— Blabbermouth
Phantom of the Nemesis
2 mentions
"leap out of the mix to imbue a thunderous dimension missing from Eonian ("The Qryptfarer," "Phantom of the Nemesis")"— Angry Metal Guy
Once ‘Ascent’ hits you with that first riff, you know you're in for an absolute treat.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Tridentium
Ascent
As Seen in the Unseen
The Qryptfarer
Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
Repository of Divine Transmutation
Slik Minnes en Alkymist
Phantom of the Nemesis
The Exonerated
Recognizant
At the Precipice of Convergence
Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions
Gjǫll
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
I came into this review as a lifelong fan and Dimmu Borgir's Grand Serpent Rising reads like a triumphant return to form, led by rippers such as “Ascent” and “As Seen in the Unseen”. The record feels like the band reclaiming its early-2000s identity, with Silenoz's creative riffs and bombastic synths restored to glorious effect. The tone is ecstatic but measured, celebrating tight performances and sinister inventiveness that make these the best songs on Grand Serpent Rising. This is not reinvention, it is vindication, and it lands as one of Dimmu's finest efforts in years.
Key Points
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The best song is “Ascent” because its opening riff immediately signals a triumphant return and showcases Silenoz's renewed riff-writing.
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The album's core strength is its restoration of bombastic synths and inventive, sinister riffs that recall Dimmu's early-2000s peak.
Themes
Bl
Critic's Take
Dimmu Borgir's Grand Serpent Rising reads like a triumphant reclamation, equal parts calculated grandeur and visceral bite. The review revels in the immediacy of “Ascent”, which erupts with scything riffs and suffocating charisma, and lauds “Phantom of the Nemesis” as a certified album highlight for its florid, unsettling orchestral use. Longer epics such as “The Qryptfarer” and “The Exonerated” are praised for hammering home the band's absurdly sophisticated formula. Overall the critic frames the best tracks on Grand Serpent Rising as potent proof that the band have returned sharper, more earthbound, and devastatingly confident.
Key Points
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The best song is “Ascent” for its eruptive riffs, suffocating charisma, and newfound rawness.
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The album's core strengths are tightened arrangements, a balance of earthiness and grandeur, and confident, immersive writing.
Themes
An
Critic's Take
Dimmu Borgir return on Grand Serpent Rising with a baroque, symphonic black metal triumph that foregrounds lush orchestrations and thunderous drums. The review revels in moments like “The Qryptfarer” and “Phantom of the Nemesis” where Daray's drums and integrated keyboards add palpable heft, and highlights tracks such as “Repository of Divine Transmutation” and “Ascent” for their striking intros and solos. The writer admires the band refining rather than reinventing their sound, praising soaring melodies on “Slik Minnes en Alkymist” and crystalline cleans on “As Seen in the Unseen” as evidence the Serpent still strikes with majesty. While noting the album's 69-minute runtime could be trimmed, the tone remains celebratory: Grand Serpent Rising rewards patience and repeated listens, and is among the band's better-sounding records.
Key Points
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The Qryptfarer stands out for its thunderous drums and mix presence, making it a top track.
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Grand Serpent Rising's core strengths are lush orchestrations, refined arrangements, and melodic guitar work.
Themes
