Inn i evighetens mørke

Though ''Inn i Evighetens Mørke'' had potential, it's not an amazing release. Sure, it has its moments, however overall I think it could have done a lot better. I certainly understand what the band was going for: atmospheric and symphonic black metal, but it's just not very interesting.

The first of the three songs is ''Inn i Evighetens Mørke (part I)''. This is the best song on the EP, despite some flaws. It opens up with a melancholic piano passage which is quite nice, and sets a somber mood, and is later joined by the full band. The song is instrumental, and the guitars and synth compliment each other well, and though the guitars are distorted, the playing resembles that of an acoustic guitar. This makes the song nice and atmospheric, and quite relaxing in a sense. The only real negative aspect with this track in particular is that it feels a little stretched out, however it is overall quite a good track, and is easily the best part of the EP.

The second track, ''Inn i Evighetens Mørke (part II)'' is definitely the worst track on the album. It's pointless filler, and feels like a blatant ripoff of Enslaved's sound. Luckily it's only two minutes long. This track is less atmospheric and more ''heavy'', but the riffs are quite forgettable and lifeless. There's just absolutely nothing that stands out, with the exception of ripping of Enslaved's synth style (the synth writing heard on ''Heimdallr'', for instance). The third and final track, ''Raabjørn speiler draugheimens skodde'', is somewhat of a mix between the two previous songs; it starts with an atmospheric, synthbased melody, which is fairly captivating and pleasant, and it goes on for a while, but then it becomes like the second track: lifeless and forgettable.

The vocals on the EP are fairly good. They are lower pitched than most black metal vocals, and much more growl-like, and, in a sense, I guess they sound quite ''evil'', which is something many black metal vocalists aspire to sound like, so I guess they're good. The lyrics are also quite, or should I say, the lyrics for ''Raabjørn speiler draugheimens skodde'' are quite good, as they're the only lyrics I've found. Nonetheless, they are quite good, the imagery and atmosphere in the lyrics are rather good, and are somewhat similar to Emperor's lyrics, only in Norwegian.

The drums are also fairly good, it fits well with what's being played, and the drums know their place. The drumming is quite simple, however the simplicity fits well with the atmosphere and mood. The sound of the drums are also fairly good; they sound a bit metallic, but it honestly fits well with the music. The drums aren't. in my opinion, too loud nor too quiet in the mix. The production is pretty much the same as on ''For All Tid'', as in it's alright. It's certainly not crystal clear, however black metal isn't particularly known for exquisite production. Compared to other releases from the Norway at the time, the production is very good.

''Inn i Evighetens Mørke (part I)'' saves the album from getting an actual bad rating; had it been only the two latter songs, it may have gotten half of the score I gave it now. To me, it seems as if the band just took some material they didn't want on their debut, but didn't want to throw away either, so they just coughed up an EP. To me, this is just a much worse ''For All Tid''. I guess I'd recommend it for loyal fans of the Dimmu-fellas, but to those more sceptical of the band, I'd recommend sticking with either ''For All Tid'' or ''Stormblåst''.

The music on this E.P. would have been better sounding if the keyboards would have not existed or if there was a piano player, but still, the music is not great. The band was at its beginning and the members didn't know how to play their instruments. But that has been said already and I will point out the real strengths and weaknesses of the release.

First of all, I love the cover because it's really appropriate for the theme evoked by the lyrics and the music: sorrow, dawn, the darkness etc.

Second, the atmosphere is well created by the guitars and, sometimes, by the keyboards. When hearing "Inn I Evighetens I" and "Raabjorn", the guitar parts are mainly made as if for acoustic guitars, good to scare people on camp fire or the neighbors, because they are disturbing. I think Tjodalv plays them, because they are the easiest ones. Everything is ruined by "Inn I Evighetens Morke II", a short headbangable song, but not when you are depressed; it's too fast, too loud and has a punkish vibe. Then, there’s Shagrath's drumming, which is sloppy, over the place at times and loud in the mix, not to mention the out of tune premier drum.

The keyboards are the main problem of the album. Those eerie sounds, reminiscent of the intro from "X Files" TV series, are fucking annoying! I know the guy wasn't into metal at all, but some ambient sounds like the ones used in the intro of the title track from "For All Tid" would have sounded divine compared to what he did! Even the one dimensional use of the piano all the time would have made this release better. The production doesn't help either, because it leaves the distorted guitar in the background, so we can "admire" this bullshit of a composition. I don't know why some people praise Stian Aarstad, because here, Silenoz and Tjodalv are the actual stars. Even Tristan, with his bass playing, does a better job in creating an atmosphere worthy of the theme adopted.

So, this is not essential even if you are a fan of the band and you like black metal that isn't super fast, but more melodic than Burzum, or black metal with keyboards. In the end, is not as worse as some say, just decent at best!

This release should give hope to every starting metal band on the planet. Look guys, even if you don’t master your instruments, even if you suck a bit, with a bit of exercise and motivation you still can have an international musical career.

The atmosphere of the CD is what we can expect from early Dimmu Borgir. Threatening and melancholic, with single string strum black metal riffs and chaotic drums.

The music sounds like typical 90’s black metal: very raw and poorly produced. While it translates the feeling and mindset of the scene at the time, the result is hardly enjoyable. I don’t know how skilled the musicians were at that time, but the songs are not very well played, which also could mean it was recorded and edited hastily. Was it a budget thing or just mediocrity, I guess we’ll never know.

“EP” is a keyword here. If this was released as a demo, the standard would be lower, and some things would make more sense. But the band (or label?) released it as an EP, and so it shall be reviewed as an EP. This means the quality falls short on every front: the drums are floating and the other instruments try their best to follow, but don’t quite succeed. The overall sound quality is quite low, even for earlier standards. I wonder if they used a guide track while recording, my guess is they didn’t.

Not all is horrible on Inn I Evighetens Mørke (“In eternal darkness“), the band put the riffs quite coherently together and the songwriting skills are there, it’s just that they are buried in amateurism. Luckily they realized soon enough they had the potential to actually make good music and evolved into a really good band. As I said: there is hope for every starting metal band.

The year was 1994, and a young an dback then unknown Norwegian band had just released their very first effort in the form of a limited 7" EP, in true underground Black Metal style. This offering was called "Inn I Evighentens Mørke" and over the years it has become an insanely sought after item by the many band fans.
Most of these early releases are rarely worth all the attention and cult status they get, but it's not the case here. To this day, "Inn I Evighetens Mørke" still stands as a courageous and impressive debut offering.

On the first side we find the title track, a bleak, dismal epic which is divided in two parts. Part I is instrumental and very slow, almost Doomish at points. A sad piano melody introduces us to a windswept landscape of majestic, depressive moods, painted by a good set of riffs which flow one after another like a freezing stream of melting ice. In their early days, Dimmu were striving for a beautiful yet sad atmosphere, and they definitely accomplished their mission here.
Part II changes the mood completely, being short and pretty fast (by early Dimmu standards). It opens with a cool guitar riff, soon joined by the other instruments and Silenoz's deep, echoy screams; the opening sounds a bit like "Hunnerkongens Sorgsvarte Ferd over Steppene" which would later appear on the first album, but soon gives room to more and more riffs compressed in such a short song, without sacrificing cohesion. There are also some unusual key changes to be found here. A little gem.

The other side presents the best known song of the band's old days, "Raabjørn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde", which would also resurface of "For All Tid" and, in a re-recorded version, on both "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" and "Godless Savage Garden". This track is another great example of the enthralling atmosphere the band was striving for: a slow and very melancholic riff soon gives way to a more heavy passage, and finally the more groovy verse kicks in, followed by a chorus built on a simple yet extremely effective riff, one of the band's best. After another verse and another chorus, we get back to a slow tempo which lasts until the song fades out. A classic which deserves its status, although over the years this song got really overused.

The sound on this EP resembles the one of the original edition of "For All Tid" issued by No Colours Records (actually I believe that the material for these two releases originated during the same sessions): echoy and creepy, with buzzy but stil decipherable guitars and a lot of reverb on drums and vocals. Surprisingly enough, the bass can be easily heard, which is a definite plus because the band's first bassist, Brynjard Tristan, always had a good number of interesting lines to add to the texture. The synths, played by their original keyboarder Stian Aarstad (which was a session member back then) sound nothing like the grandiose, pompous arrangements to be found on EDT or even Stormblåst, yet their subtle presence strongly enhances the mysterious atmosphere of the music, and if they weren't there, it would be clear that something is missing, especially on the first part of the title track.

As I said, this EP is nowadays hard and expensive to obtain (I'm not even sure if Necromantic Gallery Productions, the label that originally released it, even exists anymore), but you can find its material on the Nuclear Blast re-issue of "For All Tid, although with a slightly different sound due to the remastering process.
However, it's safe to say that "Inn I Evighentens Mørke" marked a very good beginning for a very good band.