Soria Moria Slott

Recorded and released in 1996, Soria Moria Slott is the first full-length album of Norwegian symphonic black metallers Dismal Euphony. The band formed in 1992, but it is only after a few years that they found the blueprint for their sound – an aggressive but at the same time very melodic mixture of classical/symphonic influences and black metal characterized by the alternation between operatic female vocals and bleak male growls. This so-called “beauty and the beast” approach to extreme metal became quite popular through the 1990s, when many death/doom/black metal bands followed the trend and quickly inflated the scene. Dismal Euphony were among the first to take on this approach, though, and they were quite unique in that, instead of taking their influences from the doom/death tradition in the same way as Theatre of Tragedy or Tristania did, the core of their sound is rooted in symphonic black metal.

Soria Moria Slott is in my view the highest point in the band’s discography. However, there is a sort of elephant in the room with this release, which is best to address head-on: the production is abysmal to the point of nearly ruining the listening experience. Sure, black metal albums are often intentionally produced rough, it’s part of the genre's aesthetics. But here things went well beyond what’s acceptable, to the point that at times one has to more or less second-guess what is actually being played in the incredibly muffled and compressed buzz that comes out of the speakers. It is a pity because one defining characteristic of Dismal Euphony’s music is its richness and complexity – which inevitably partly gets lost in this mess of a production. To address the production problems, the album was released twice in 1996. I own the second edition with the supposedly improved mix – I cannot imagine how terrible the first mix must have been!

With the production issues out of the way, we can turn to the music. It is a thing of beauty. Dismal Euphony are one of the few extreme bands that I would describe as being truly “progressive” while staying faithful to their black metal origins. The music combines folk, classical and symphonic influences and black metal. The songs are typically very complex, switching multiple times between melodic mid-tempo parts dominated by Elin Overskott’s excellent keyboards and Keltziva’s ethereal vocals (when you can hear them), and fast black metal sections with ice-cold distorted guitar riffs and furious blast beats (drummer Kristoffer Austrheim puts in a great performance on this album). Acoustic sections placed within the songs bring in tasteful folk influences (we even have a flute playing the lead melody on the instrumental “Alvedans”). Overall, the music is very epic and has the right balance between complexity, melody and raw aggression.

The quality of the compositions is generally high, but a few tracks stand out as particularly excellent. Two of them, “Et vintereventyr” and “Trollbundet”, are actually re-recorded versions of songs that had first appeared on the band’s debut demo/EP. There are a few differences in the arrangements and, most notably, the lyrics are in Norwegian instead that in English as on the originals, but otherwise the tracks are quite similar to those released on the demo/EP. Both are great examples of the band’s skills at combining classical/symphonic music and black metal. “Trollbundet” is particularly nice, with its lead melody borrowed from Italian baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni’s “Adagio in G minor”. However, “Ekko” is probably the highest point on the album (and in Dismal Euphony’s entire discography, perhaps). It’s a truly epic song, lasting more than 9 minutes, divided in two parts: a first part reproduces the classic alternation between symphonic motives and black metal, while the second one starts with a gorgeous acoustic guitar in 3/4 and some dramatic recitations before increasing in intensity as we move towards the song’s finale. “Isgrav, det siste hvilested” is another epic, lasting 8+ minutes. It follows a similar style as “Ekko” (and features a nice clean voices chorus), but it’s perhaps slightly less inspired.

Overall, if you can get past the terrible sound production, Soria Moria Slott is a great album, very intense and dramatic, but also epic and melodic. The complexity of the songwriting is never a burden, but it actually heightens the quality of the music to the point that the album would not be out of place on a “greatest extreme prog metal albums” list. The “beauty and the beast” thing that no doubt many will find annoying after having been flooded for years with countless releases in this style, is actually done very tastefully here and – most importantly – with enough originality to make the band stand out relative to other similar acts (they are by no means a Theatre of Tragedy clone). I highly recommended the album to anyone who is into symphonic black metal or extreme progressive metal, or metal in general!

Don't let the fact that Dismal Euphony utilizes synths and female vocals dissuade you from giving this Black Metal masterpiece a spin or ten. Throughout this album the listener is constantly shuffled back and forth amongst such diverse elements as: ethereal, haunting melodic vocal duets; ripping and distorted Black Metal guitar riffing driven by oddly muffled, blasting drumming; epic metalized folk melodies akin to the earlier work of Summoning; and grim, raw Black Metal pandemonium. All the vocals are sung in Norwegian.

The album opens with the 52-second track, "Prolog," a nicely atmospheric synth repeated signature that ends abruptly before launching into "Et Vintereventyr," a rollicking keyboard-driven showcase for Ole's harsh vocals and simple but effective six-string riffing and Keltziva's beautiful soprano vocal punctuations.

Next up is "Natten Loftec Sit Tunge," a lofty but lo-fi, mid-paced Black Metal march into the apocalypse featuring some great bloody-throated shrieking and constantly shape-shifting melodic constructions.

"Alvedans" at first lulls the listener into a false sense of serenity with a neoclassical flute intro before launching into another mid-paced synth/guitar battle that eventually segues into "Fortidssjeledrepte?" a shattering number that is sure to please even the most diehard Immortal fanatic. Ironically, "Fortidssjeledrepte?" the most powerful track, wasn't included on the original release of this album, and is only available on the limited edition re-release, which is the one I recommend acquiring. This release also has superior cover art

A magnificent twin guitar intro quickly metamorphoses into the most epic track on the album. "Trolloundet" again recalls material by the likes of Summoning or Ancient Wisdom. Ole's vocals are placed quite far back in the mix, almost hidden behind his rapidly picked, highly distorted arpeggios; a very effective combination that lends a latent power to the song that otherwise wouldn't exist. And Keltziva's angelic vocals absolutely shine on this track.

Next come the two longest cuts on the album: "Ekko" (9:49) and "Isgrav, Det Siste Hvilesred" (8:21). Both feature a plethora of Dismal Euphony's strong points: Compelling folk melodies interspersed with tortured Black Metal vocals and distortion drenched guitars; excellent drumming; those gorgeous female vocals; and constantly shifting melodies that keep one's interest piqued throughout.

Finally, "Epilog" brings us full circle, concluding the album with another simple synth melody that effects a soothing calm after the storm.

Unlike later D.E. releases, this one has vague production values that only serve to accentuate the atmosphere elicited by the terrific ensemble playing. This album should please Black Metal fans of all camps. From Darkthrone-worshipping grim-meisters to those who appreciate epic, symphonic Black Metal with outstanding male/female vocal interplay and lofty synth injections, this release should be a mandatory inclusion in any serious Black Metal collection.

NOTE: For those who are only familiar with All Little Devils and later releases, this version of Dismal Euphony has a significantly different line-up and sound. Vocalist Keltziva and keyboardist Elin Overskot (R.I.P.) were powerful and distinctive contributors to the musicality of Soria Moria Slott. The band's sound changed significantly with their departure - more polished and less harsh. Indeed, the new D.E. doesn't even sound like the same band. Although the later recordings are interesting, this is Dismal Euphony at their creative, dynamic peak.