In Sorte Diaboli (+DVD) [Digipak] - Dimmu Borgir > Reviews > In Sorte Diabli - The Devil you know

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Exellent album extremely well packaged .
Disadvantages:	Some may not like the vocal style

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Now, I'd let the whole Black/Death metal thing pass me by, because when it first reared it's head, even if the musicianship was good, the production tended to be very muddy, making everything sound pretty much the same. Nowadays that's all changed.
In Sorte Diaboli has a truly bombastic sound. The production is fantastic, and the musicianship is technically stunning. It's all a bit like Wagner goes metal, and it's stunning.
This album is a bit of a rarity these days, as it's a concept album. The story is set in the middle ages about a man who tries to follow the new religion sweeping through Europe (Christianity), but has a lapse of faith due to what he sees as hypocrisy. He knows that this will innevitably be discovered and if and when it is, he will be tried and in all probability burned at the stake as a heritic. The songs tell his story, from the lapse of faith to his eventual execution, the final track ending with the sounds of flames.
The album is consistently good, with no single track falling below par.
There is a strong orchestral sound and you feel that this album would sound stunning live if the keyboards were replace with an actual orchestra.
The packaging for the limited edition is excellent. The case is in the form of a hardback book. The front and end leaf containing the album and a dvd respectively. The dvd has the video for the song Serpentine Offering, a "making of the video" documentary, a "making of the album" documentary and a photo gallery. The rest of the package is made up of a booklet with the story of the album, and the lyrics (which are printed backwards) and a mirror (to read the lyrics).
Overall, it's a great album, the dvd is good, and the whole package is extremely well thought out and put together.