Spiritual Black Dimensions

Infobox Album | Name = Spiritual Black Dimensions
Type = studio
Artist = Dimmu Borgir


Released = March 2, 1999
Recorded = August-October 1998 at Abyss Studio
Genre = Symphonic black metal
Length = 49:14
Label = Nuclear Blast Records
Producer = Dimmu Borgir and Peter Tagtgren
Reviews =
*Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://wc08.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:djfpxq8jldhe link]
Last album = "Godless Savage Garden"
(1998)
This album = "Spiritual Black Dimensions"
(1999)
Next album = "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia"
(2001)

"Spiritual Black Dimensions" is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was released in 1999 by Nuclear Blast Records. A deluxe edition was released in 2004 with bonus material.

This was Dimmu Borgir's first foray into speed-laden black metal, and since much of their old material was slower and more doomy in approach, reviews of this album are mixed, giving it a serious love-hate relationship. This was also the first album to feature new keyboardist Mustis and the clean vocals of ICS Vortex (who would later join the band full-time).

Much of the darker, faster direction could be attributed to guitarist Astennu, as the album "Mirrored Hate Painting" from his project Carpe Tenebrum show-cased the faster black metal style Dimmu Borgir would display on this album.

Track listing

# "Reptile" "(feat. ICS Vortex)" – 5:17
# "Behind The Curtains Of Night - Phantasmagoria" – 3:18
# "Dreamside Dominions" "(feat. ICS Vortex)" – 5:13
# "United In Unhallowed Grace" – 4:21
# "The Promised Future Aeons" – 6:51
# "The Blazing Monoliths Of Defiance" – 4:37
# "The Insight And The Catharsis" "(feat. ICS Vortex)" – 7:16
# "Grotesquery Conceiled (Within Measureless Magic)" – 5:10
# "Arcane Lifeforce Mysteria" "(feat. ICS Vortex)" – 7:03
# "Masses For The New Messiah" (Bonus Track) – 5:13

Personnel

*Shagrath - Vocals, Clean vocals (on track 3)
*Erkekjetter Silenoz - Guitar
*Astennu - Lead Guitar
*Nagash - Bass, backing vocals
*Tjodalv - Drums
*Mustis - Synthesizers & Piano

*ICS Vortex - Clean guest vocals (On track 1,3,7,9)
*Peter Tagtgren - Producing

Notes

*The song "Grotesquery Conceiled" won an award at the 1999 Norwegian Grammies.