DIMMU BORGIR's Guitarists Discuss New Album's Concept, Christianity

Roy Kristensen of Imhotep webzine recently conducted an interview with DIMMU BORGIR guitarists Galder and Silenoz. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the new album's concept:

Galder: "I thought it would be a greater challenge writing lyrics based upon my own story. The lyrics can be regarded as journals depending on where the main character is. The lyrics are a continuation of the background story which will be included in the booklet as well. I think it was an interesting process creating the story. I neither knew how it would end nor how I was going to tie up the loose ends. It was cool watching "the movie" as it moved on, it was actually a motivating factor that made me work even harder. I wanted to create an overall feeling of completion.

Silenoz: "We have always been visual, and we intend do to likewise this time as well. We’ve made a new video, where we've tried to view the whole story, obviously in a shorter version. In the end, the main character will have to pay for his decisions different as he is. In that sense you can relate the story to today's society. You will also recognize some of the Bible gospels, just consider the way Lucifer was cast away. Due to his differences he became a threat to God. Even if the story is set in the Middle Ages, it can easily be related to today’s society. The Middle Ages was a period of changes, just think about the art of printing and the importance of religion."

On the band's viewes towards Christianity:

Silenoz: "We hope that people have thoughts and are conscious on these matters. Too many people of today are lazy, they don't question religion nor other subjects. I can’t be narrowminded and accept things without raising questions. I do, of course, accept that others have different opinions, but I have a hard time handling people who have an opinion without any background that can justify their thoughts. If they can't explain why they are Christians, I can't see any reason to pay respect to them. I am able to respect a Christian as a person, but I cannot whatsoever show any respect for his Christianity since I look down on this kind of… nonsense. Why should I respect anything I don't like? On the other hand, if he or she manages to explain why Christendom is important I can have a good relationship to the person."

"The negative aspects of Christianity will continue. Just look at our neighbour in the West. There's a president who makes decisions with the guidance of religious beliefs. Everyone is able to see how that's going to end. At the same time there are others who resist due to religious conviction, and then it all crashes (we laugh). This is so obvious. It’s strange to witness such a never-ending story…"

Read the entire interview at this location.