When I last caught up with Silenoz, the conversation was rooted in the savage world of Insidious Disease and After Death. This time, the setting was very different. The scope was wider, darker, and far more cinematic as we stepped back into the vast and immersive world of Dimmu Borgir ahead of the release of Grand Serpent Rising, due out May 22 through Nuclear Blast.
And after hearing the album in full, one thing became immediately clear. This is not a record that has been rushed into existence. Grand Serpent Rising feels lived in, deliberate and sharpened by time. It carries the kind of weight that only comes when a band allows a record to become exactly what it needs to be rather than forcing it into the world before it is ready.
That patient approach sits right at the core of how Silenoz spoke about the album. There was no talk of chasing a formula or trying to recreate a former triumph. If anything, he made it clear that Dimmu Borgir have always resisted that temptation. There is no recipe. No calculated attempt to balance one type of song against another. The band writes, follows where the material leads, and lets the bigger picture reveal itself over time. It is a mindset that feels vital to understanding why Grand Serpent Rising hits the way it does.
What makes this album so compelling is the balance it strikes. It feels huge in scope, but it never disappears under its own size. The symphonic and cinematic elements are still there, but they are deployed with greater restraint and purpose. Because of that, when those larger moments arrive, they land with even more force. There is a darkness and a heaviness running through this record that feels especially potent, and that sense of dynamic push and pull was something Silenoz spoke about with real pride. Dimmu Borgir have always dealt in contrast, melody and dissonance, grandeur and bite, and Grand Serpent Rising leans into those extremes with confidence.
That same sense of purpose extends to the identity of the album itself. Silenoz described the band’s approach as one that has never taken the easy way out. Rather than chasing a sequel to a past era or trying to offer a simple nostalgic callback, this record feels more like a walk through the full Dimmu Borgir legacy. You can hear flashes of the old spirit, traces of the middle years, and the broader reach of the more modern era, but none of it feels forced. Instead, Grand Serpent Rising sounds like a band drawing from its own history without becoming trapped by it.
One of the strongest threads running through the album is the return of the Norwegian language. It gives the record a deeper sense of bloodline, atmosphere and identity, and it is one of the elements that makes this chapter feel so grounded in who Dimmu Borgir are. Silenoz explained that it began naturally, with one lyrical idea that simply would not fully click in English. Once he translated the feeling into Norwegian, it opened the door for more. From there, it became a quiet but powerful nod to the band’s roots, a reconnecting of the red thread that stretches all the way back to those earliest records.
That made the choice of “Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel” as the first single all the more striking. Rather than easing people in with the most obvious or safe entry point, Dimmu Borgir chose to lead with something bolder, something more reflective of their own identity and past. Silenoz admitted that choosing a first single this time was not straightforward, precisely because no one track stood out as the obvious commercial pick. In typical Dimmu Borgir fashion, they chose the path that felt truest to who they are.
Another key part of this new chapter is the return of Fredrik Nordström. His name is tied to some landmark moments in the Dimmu Borgir catalogue, and bringing him back into the fold gives Grand Serpent Rising another subtle link between past and present. For Silenoz, that choice came from trust, familiarity and the sense that the right hands were helping shape the right record. Rather than gambling on an unknown quantity, the band returned to someone who understood their world and could help realise this album in a way that felt natural.
There is also a broader maturity running through the conversation around Grand Serpent Rising. Silenoz spoke openly about the realities that come with time, family, health, and the changing demands of life. Dimmu Borgir are no longer operating from the same place they were in their twenties, and that naturally affects the rhythm of making records and moving through the world. But rather than sounding like compromise, it comes across as perspective. The album has taken the time it needed because that is what the music demanded, and because Dimmu Borgir were never going to send it out into the world until they were fully satisfied with it.
That philosophy also carries into how the band see albums in the first place. In an era of fractured attention spans and playlist culture, Grand Serpent Rising feels like a full listening experience. It is a record designed to be sat with, absorbed, and travelled through from start to finish. That is increasingly rare, and it is one of the things that makes this album feel so rewarding. It does not just offer songs. It offers a journey.
And this next chapter is not stopping at the record itself. Dimmu Borgir will take Grand Serpent Rising on the road across North America in August with a stacked bill alongside Hypocrisy, Suffocation and Hulder. For Silenoz, there was real excitement in finally bringing this material into a live setting after such a long gap, with the clear sense that this is only the beginning of the album’s life on stage. He also made it clear that Australia is very much on the band’s mind, something fans here will no doubt be hoping becomes reality sooner rather than later.
What came through strongest in this conversation was not just excitement for a new album, but conviction. Grand Serpent Rising does not feel like a band revisiting former glories. It feels like Dimmu Borgir drawing a line through everything they have been, everything they are, and everything they still want to become. There is heritage in it. There is fire in it. And there is a real sense that this record matters.
For longtime fans, it feels like a powerful new entry in the catalogue. For anyone stepping into this world for the first time, it is a reminder of why Dimmu Borgir remain such a singular force in extreme music.
Grand Serpent Rising arrives on May 22 via Nuclear Blast.
Pre-order Grand Serpent Rising here: https://dimmuborgir.bfan.link/grandserpentrising
LINE UP:
Shagrath – vocals
Silenoz – guitars
Damage – guitars
Victor – bass
Gerlioz – keyboards
Daray – drums
