Customer Reviews

For All Tid

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's hard to believe that this is the same Dimmu Borgir that made "Death Cult Armageddon", isn't it? A once raw, atmospheric, majestic BM outfit of young teens evolving to a pompous, grand extreme metal machine... But anyway, onto the album.

If you've heard the band's 1996 effort "Stormblast", you kind of know what to expect; When I say "kind of", I mean you get the same atmosphere, except the guitars are higher in the mix, the production is grainy and reverbed, and the line-up is different. Shagrath is on drums; Silenoz is on rhythm guitar and vocals; Tjodalv is on lead guitar; Brynjard Tristan handles bass; and Stian Aerstad handles synth, keyboards, and piano. This album is considerably more of a BM album, but not a primitive or "grim" album. "For All Tid" possesses a sad yet majestic atmosphere, beautifully brought to life by wintry guitar melodies, melancholic synth parts, and a rather relaxing mid-tempo march to all the songs.

"For All Tid" proves that power and beauty can be found through simplicity. The classic title track and the later to be re-recorded "Hunnerkongens Sorgsvarte..." are prime examples. Shagrath's drum work is minimal but suits the stripped-down essence of the music perfectly, and Silenoz's gutteral and mid-pitched rasps give the music an ethereal atmosphere during the spoken word parts. The operatic vocals on track 3 are also a nice touch, courtesy of the singer of Ved Buens Ende.

My personal favorite tracks are the magical opener "Under Korpens Vinger", the short but folkish "Stien" and the awesome title track. If you're new to the band, I reccommend checking out "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" or "Death Cult Armageddon"; But if you're eager to find some amazing atmospheric BM or just to look into the band's roots, check this out at all costs.

This album resonates with the lo-fi sound of early '90s Black Metal. The production isn't great, but it isn't bad either. I've heard both sides of that argument and have come to the conclusion that this album is like watching a really good low-budget movie that has somehow been forgotten with the passing of time. An underappreciated gem that only needs to be listened to to regain its luster. The first time I heard this album was soon after hearing their masterpiece "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant," and I see now that it was not fair of me to do that. But later on I decided to try it out again and was pleasantly surprised. "For All Tid" reminded me of early Satyricon (see "The Shadowthrone" and "Dark Medieval Times") in that the lo-fi production actually added charm to the sound rather than making it sound horrible, like so many other Black Metal bands. All in all, this is worth the money I spent.

I remember when I first heard this album a long time ago it seems now, mine was recorded on an old Memorex dBS tape, hehe. The Norweigian lyrics are just as awesome if not more than the later English lyrics. It was one of the first times I had ever heard any kind of music like this (along with Emperor's great "In The Nightside Eclipse") and it took me into a dark realm, as if I was in a trance. When I listen to music like this I really get into it, my imagination runs wild with images of a quest through, lets say, the river Styx on Charon's ferry, sailing towards Hades, to enter through the gates of death. Inside you hear the cries of the tormented(Glittertind) and meet the Infernal Lord himself(Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde) and I find myself headbanging to one of the most awesome Black Metal albums I've ever heard to this day! I urge and strongly suggest this for anyone into Black Metal if you haven't heard and own it already. For All Tid, the title track, has been my infernal anthem, I can never forget that song for as long as I am here on Satan's earth, and I probably never will. I now own this album on CD, and you should too! GET THIS ALBUM NOW!!!

Hail To The Black!

Yes back in the day when DB were once Truly seen as one of black metals elite.If you are only into New DB this sounds nothing like them.This is slow,murky,atmospheric,Keyboard based and sung entirely in norwegian.In this case its a good thing becuase this is without doubt one of their best (second only to stormblast).The low budget recording of this album really captures the time it was made and brings back the atmosphere of that TRUE black metal era.If you are after the Brutal modern day dimmu this is not it.

This album is one of the best DB albums it is definatly not like the latter ones but its still good later dimmu borgir is sang in english and is more brutal but this one is mellow and at times viscious the recording quality can definatly bring you back to the time when it was done and you can at times listen and hear the dark force that this album is driven by...........you kno what i think im goin to listen to it now
i have it on mp3 format and will soon by the original just to have it in my collection

The first Dimmu Borgir LP. It doesn't sound as their later releases because they weren't in a big label like Nuclear Blast so the production wasn't the best. Anyway the feeling is there...Is a very dark album...it's not the same style like Enthrone Darkness Triumphant or Spiritual Black Dimensions but i love it. The lyrics are in norwegian and that gives a different atmosphere...Sometimes u feel like being in a cemetery. I must mention that the piano work is excellent. You gotta buy this album.

Hail Dimmu Borgir !!

I am constantly reminded about how sh*tty modern Dimmu is. I see them in interviews constantly, and those ridiculous pictures they take, where Shagrath does totally cheesy poses (like Dani Filth?), and I constantly get this hole in my gut about how good they used to be. While this effort isn't as great as Stormblaast (the last album they made before they started sucking), it does have its moments. At best, it's epic. The melodies are driven by a dark force that's more subdued and malevolent than the future DB, which is mostly "Look at me, everybody, Look at me!! I'm satanic! WORSHIP SATAN WORSHIP SATAN!" and no substance beyond that. X[ This album begins with some weird computer noises, and then goes into this beautiful piano melody, and then Silenoz (shagrath was the drummer back then) says some rant in norwegian. Song two begins with a great riff, and some awesome melodies, and has a crushing dark atmosphere, unlike song three, which has a sort of operatic feel. Although most people hate the singing, I love it. I'm a sucker for that type (Attila Csihar, Garm, etc...). The only problem is that the rest of the songs are often forgettable riffs, a.k.a. the dreaded filler. Every song has its good, epic parts, but they also have their repetitive filler parts, which is why Stormblaast is a 5 star album and this is a four star album.

Dimmu Borgir has changed a lot, though. Now, their music is a joke. The keyboard melodies are no longer intelligent and now "Look at me, I have a keyboard! I AM 'SYMPHONIC'! I AM T3H 1337!!!" In fact, most of their later sound is basically "Look at me! LOOK AT ME!". The lyrics went from intelligent stories to "Look at me, I have a large vocabulary! I are satanic!!" It makes me wanna cry. The only DB albums you should have are this one and Stormblaast. I got EDT and the more I listened to it, the more I didn't like it. I burned Spiritual Black Dimensions, and I only liked one song. I quit paying attention to DB after that.

Well, contrary to what just about everyone thinks who wrote a review so far, the vocalist on this album is NOT Shagrath. He only does vocals on Det Nye Riket. The main vocalist is Silenoz (except for track 3 which has guest vocalist Aldrahn, and guest vocalist Vicotnik on certain other songs). Also, this isn't the only album by DB with Norwegian lyrics. Stormblast has Norwegian lyrics as well, and DCA has two tracks with Norwegian lyrics. GSG also has some songs with Norwegian lyrics, but seeing as two of them are rerecorded from this album, and the third is a live song, they don't really count. And, this album isn't a "compilation," either.

For those who are used to PEM and DCA, you will most likely not enjoy this album at all. But, if you give it a chance, you might enjoy it in due time. It's an acquired taste, in a way. I enjoy Dimmu Borgir's later albums as well, but this album has a certain feel that the others don't. But, it's also missing something the other albums have. Oh well, you can't have it perfect.

Anyways, this album hasn't got very good production, but it's better than SOME other releases (Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse comes to mind...), and in some ways, I kinda prefer the bad production here, as it enhances the mood. Tjodalv and Silenoz have come up with some great riffs on this album, but the fact that there are no guitar solos doesn't help the fact that this album seems to drag on in certain parts and repeat a riff a few too many times before going to a new riff. Tracks 10 and 11 (on the digipak version) are from the bands first 7" EP Inn I Evighetens Morke, which had the two bonus tracks, and Raabjorn Speiler Draugheimens Skodde. Part 1 is a great (or not so great, depending on how you look at it) example of how repetitive this album can be sometimes. Though, Part 2 makes up for it, with a short, fast, pure Black Metal song. Raabjorn... and Hunnerkongens... were rerecorded for GSG, as said above, with Silenoz on vocals, and the rerecorded version of Raabjorn... was also a bonus track on certain versions of EDT.

I enjoy Under Korpens Vinger, Over Bleknede Blaner Til Dommedag, Stien, and, well, I guess it would be easier if I said which tracks I don't enjoy. I don't like Det Nye Riket, or Part 1. But, despite liking almost every track, I have to rate this album 3 stars, as it oftens gets boring at times, it has no solos, and I just can't enjoy this album as much as Stormblast onward. But, this album is still a masterpiece in it's own regard, and I suggest trying it out, as long as you keep in mind it is in almost no way similar to Dimmu's sound today.

If you enjoy this album, you might also enjoy Stormblast, also by Dimmu Borgir, which in my opinion, is more enjoyable.

Let's face it, Dimmu is one of the best black metal bands out there. Their extreme sound is known by almost any fan of this kind of music. But did you ever wonder what their first recording sounded like? this is your big chance to own a piece of history.

Many people think that Stormblast is their first but the original recording of FOR ALL TID ( black & white cover ) came out a few years prior. If you are lucky enough to find an original version, please don't hesitate and get it because it is now impossible to get.

This CD combines great keyboards and guitars but the greatest feature is that Shagrath sings in Norwegian. This isn't as heavy and fast as EDT or PEM . It's more melodic with some acoustic guitar. Another great feature is that with this version, you get 2 bonus tracks taken from their extremely rare 7'' single.

"Tid" is the Norwegian word for "time." The kind of Black Metal they perform is a kind of bridge between Cradle of Filth's softer "Gothic Melodic Black Metal" and harsher Black Metal bands like Emperor and Dark Funeral. This their first album was recorded before they were famous, and subsequently the production is bad (it is hard to hear different instruments interacting) despite the fact that this is a remastered copy. It is worth the money, though, because it is one of the most unique Black Metal album of all time, resonating clearly with its roots from Scandinavian folk music. A similar album by Dimmu Borgir is "Stormblast" and can be found at ..., it is not quite as unique as "For All Tid" but the production is incredibly better. The production on "Stormblast" is a vast improvement upon that of "For All Tid," and the music is very similar but not quite as unique. I would not say that it is their best album like others probably have... "For All Tid" is in my opinion Dimmu Borgir's best album if you can get past the poor production.

A nice feature to this specific edition of "For All Tid" is that it includes two bonus trakcs (the two at the very end) which are from a very hard to find Dimmu Borgir EP. Basically, this CD is worth buying if you like black metal.