DIMMU BORGIR's SILENOZ On Upcoming 'Grand Serpent Rising' Album: We've Come Up With 'A Collection Of Great Songs Without Compromising'

In a new interview with Australia's Everblack podcast, guitarist Sven "Silenoz" Kopperud of Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR spoke about the band's upcoming album, "Grand Serpent Rising", which will arrive on May 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. Regarding his expectations for the effort, Silenoz said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Of course you have an anticipation for how you want the public to receive it. But at the end of the day, we feel strongly about it and we feel like we've done a collection of great songs, and that's essentially what the new album is. If it stands the test of time as one of our better albums, then so be it. That remains to be seen. But I think we have accomplished the goal, which was to make another new good-sounding record."

He continued: "I think especially the previous [album, 2018's 'Eonian'], and maybe this new one even more so, it's something that some of it hits immediately and some might need some extra time, which is always usually a sign of a great record. Some records are immediate and they still continue to be great 15, 20 years later, but it all comes down to a combination of what you probably expect, want and need from your artists, I guess. And a new record is always a subjective thing, isn't it? So it's bound to disappoint a lot of people, even before they've heard it. But that's the day and age we live in, isn't it?"

Asked if he and his DIMMU BORGIR bandmates felt any pressure to deliver something special this time around, Silenoz said: "It might sound cocky, but I think if there is any pressure, it's the one that we put on ourselves and not from exterior things. Obviously, after so many years, decades of being in the band and releasing albums, you always have in the back of your mind, even though you don't think about it very often, but it's still there, it's like, yeah, obviously you want the audience and your fans to approve of what you do and that you put so many hours and [so much] energy into it. But at the end of the day, talking to you now, before it even actually has been released, which [will be] the 22nd of May, it's already a success in many ways because we have accomplished what we set out to do and that's to make a collection of great songs as a new album, and do it our way, without compromising in any field. So that makes me proud already. But, of course, the 'thumbs up' and that people love it and will go and see us at the shows and stuff, that's the bonus. That's the top cream of the cake, basically."

Silenoz also talked about the "killing your darlings" part of the songwriting process, which involves removing some of his favorite lyrics, melodies or parts that he loves but that do not serve the songs' overall purpose. He explained: "It's the crucial part where the producer in you comes out, and you have to, as much as it hurts, put a lot of your ego aside and see things from the outside and look at the songs as a whole chapter, basically. And imagine all the great parts, all the great pieces of music and lyrics that didn't make it to this album. I mean, the percentage that made it to the album in terms of songs are smaller than the material that we had to work with. And, of course, it's a slap to the ego in the sense that, yeah, we all have parts that we have worked on for hours and hours, and it doesn't make it to the album in the end because it's not ready for being put into a song or a piece of music. So it's still a great piece of music, but it's being shelved for now, and see if maybe later at some point, it's the right time to use it. Who knows? It's just a part of being an artist and a creative person, is that you have to sacrifice to get to the end goal, which is to finalize the album. And, of course, when you don't really have a particular deadline for recording and stuff like that, things can drag on, because you feel like, 'Oh, we can still have time to work on this.' But I think this time we just made the decision to, 'Well, we have enough material now. Let's work on that and let's shave off and trim off the fat and book the time in the studio so we have, actually, a conclusive timeframe.' That's a difficult and the challenging part when you not necessarily have a deadline."

Recording for "Grand Serpent Rising" once again took place in Gothenburg with trusted producer Fredrik Nordström, the consummate professional behind such DIMMU BORGIR classics as "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" and "Death Cult Armageddon". Asked what Nordström brought out of him and his bandmates this time that some of the previous producers DIMMU BORGIR had worked with didn't or hadn't, Silenoz said: "What they have in common — I think I can speak for all of the people that we worked with over the years — is that they do their best to bring the best out of us, and they do because there are no shortcuts here. I mean, we come very well prepared to the studio. We have demoed every song down to the last little detail that we think is crucial for it to sound. So it's easier for us to have an overview already before we start the main tracking of the album, basically, which is a re-tracking in terms of you gotta get the real drums on there instead of the programmed drums that we have been working on. And also re-record everything and adjust everything with guitars, keyboards, and vocals and leads and all that stuff. But we already have that as a demo, so we know what type of highlights in each song that needs to be at the forefront. And I think Fredrik, he was very impressed and thankful that we come so prepared, and I think that's also, of course, a result of us taking the time it takes and taking the time it needs to finish it. And so for us, the album is, in many ways, I guess you can say, it's finished before we start recording with Fredrik because we lived with these songs so many years already. Some of them are from 2018, 2019. And so for us it's basically just go into the studio and re-record everything and to get the full production out of all the songs, basically. So, in that sense, Fredrik, he obviously has no say in the way the songs are structured, but he can always come up with a solution to maybe highlight an idea or a detail and we see what that sounds like in the mix. And it was, like, 'Yeah, why not do it like this?' So there's very little room for improvisation once we actually start recording the album, 'cause we have been living with the songs for so long and we have taken it apart, tweaked and twisted it around like you have no idea and re-edited pieces here and there, back and forth. So once we go into the studio to record, we are totally focused on the actual performance of the songs and not like, 'Oh, we can change the song around here.' Then that part of it is already done."

Silenoz also discussed his long-running working relationship with DIMMU BORGIR vocalist Stian "Shagrath" Thoresen, having formed the band together in 1993. Regarding how they have navigated all the changes in the music industry and the challenges they have faced over the course of the last three decades, the guitarist said: "I think it's not always easy, and I think something great never comes out of doing things easy or doing shortcuts and going the easy way. It takes a lot of determination, focus, stubbornness and being at the right time and place more than once. Actually, you have to be at the right place and time, every time. [Laughs] And you have to work at it. It's, like, if you look at successful bands, imagine how many times they have failed. But that doesn't come to the surface. People only see the successes. So, I think both me and Shagrath have the same amount of determination and ownership to what we have created over the years. We were there since the beginning, and we are just the same driven people. We are definitely very different in many ways, but we also have things in common, which is for the benefit of the band and for the music that we make. And despite common belief, I guess, we do agree more than we disagree. [Laughs] So I'm really proud that even if you have disagreements along the way, which you should have, doing it for this long, that's just normal, I'm proud that we actually are still on the same page when it comes to the major things."

He added: "At the end of the day, the feeling is still there as it was in the beginning because we do this because we want to, not because we have to. And it's a huge difference. I mean, if we did this because we had to, we would've released an album every second year, because it would look better on the bank account and we could use that as an excuse to tour more often. But that's not the case. We do this because we love creating art and, yeah, we love to take our time doing it, that's for sure. I'll take that. But it is what it is. And I think to make something a great product, you have to really sacrifice to get there. And people have no effing idea what sacrifice really means. So, I think that's the main clue."

When "Grand Serpent Rising" was first announced in late March, Silenoz said about the eight-year gap between "Eonian" and the new LP: "No question: quality must always trump quantity. We eventually set deadlines, but in the early stages of a new album, there are no schedules at all. Rushing means nothing to us. The most powerful blackened art simply can't be forced without losing its essence."

The guitarist paused, then continued: "It can easily become an endless process. Whatever you create, you constantly feel it could be improved — that's the artist's curse, and that's why you eventually move on to make another album. But with every record, a point finally comes when everything feels exactly right. And that's when it's time to let it go."

On the topic of the "Grand Serpent Rising" album title, Silenoz said: "It fits perfectly. DIMMU BORGIR is a leviathan of a band on a grand scale and we are rising once again. While the serpent represents evil to some, for us it symbolizes something else: renewal, growth, knowledge, and liberation. Shedding our skin, so to speak. And let's not forget that February 2026 marks the end of the Year Of The Snake, roughly the same moment this album was completed."

True to DIMMU BORGIR tradition, the creative process was once again grinding and demanding. Already during 2018–2019, and throughout the pandemic years, riffs, melodies and thematic ideas were developed independently in home studios, slowly accumulating into something vast.

"When we finally reunited fully as a band," Silenoz explained, "we realized we had far more strong material than we ever expected, enough for a double album."

A positive problem, some might say — if a problem at all. "Coming up with ideas has never been difficult for us," the guitarist laughed. "The real challenge is killing your darlings. Sometimes you deeply love a certain riff or melody, but that alone doesn't make a song. We had to set our personal attachments aside and focus entirely on what was best for the band and the album. Every single flavor, twist, and element had to earn its place. The result is a distilled, focused statement — no excess, no filler."

Once you descend into the treacherous journey charted by this Norwegian serpent, Silenoz's words are immediately vindicated. Following the ominous intro "Tridentium", the opening track "Ascent" strikes like lightning across a frozen, darkened northern sky. Aggressive, vicious, and twistedly beautiful, it instantly confirms that DIMMU BORGIR have lost none of their intensity, menace, or authenticity.

And the momentum never falters. Across nearly an hour of music, "Grand Serpent Rising" maintains an iron grip: it is a majestic and powerful statement that sounds like a band possessed by the feral energy of the early '90s Norwegian black metal underground, while simultaneously wielding the compositional discipline and hard-earned wisdom forged through more than three decades of relentless creation.

"One of the biggest differences compared to 'Eonian'," Silenoz noted, "is that we scaled back the choirs and orchestration a little. Those elements are essential to DIMMU BORGIR, of course, but this time they appear only where they truly add power. And when they hit, you really feel it."

Another significant shift within DIMMU BORGIR's ominous universe occurred in 2024, when longtime guitarist Galder departed to focus on his own band, OLD MAN'S CHILD. Rather than weakening the collective, the change pulled the creative process closer to its roots.

"Fewer people in the kitchen means less compromise," Silenoz noted. "In the early days of DIMMU BORGIR, it was just me and Shagrath bouncing ideas off each other. In many ways, we've returned to that, it's very direct and productive. We tell each other straight away if an idea isn't strong enough."

Despite this, "Grand Serpent Rising" remains a full-band effort, with Daray (drums),Victor Brandt (bass),Gerlioz (keyboards) and Damage (guitars) all playing vital roles. "Although most core ideas still originate from me or Shagrath," Silenoz underlined, "they flow freely between all members. Everyone brings their own ideas to the table to make the songs stronger, and that dynamic works exceptionally well these days."

Lyrically, the album follows a clear spiritual trajectory without becoming a rigid concept record. Themes of transformation, ego dissolution, and awakening resonate throughout, drawing on esoteric traditions and alchemical self-transformation, the act of shedding the old self in pursuit of one's true potential.

"Within every human being lie dormant divine centres, the chakras, whose awakening may take countless lifetimes through natural evolution," Silenoz explained. "Yet once the soul reaches sufficient maturity, this process can be accelerated. Through disciplined self-training and deep meditation, the sacred force may rise within a single lifetime, activating each center in turn."

Renowned for his layered and immersive storytelling, the guitarist continued: "This ascending current, known since antiquity as Kundalini or the Serpent Fire, transforms the seeker, awakening godlike qualities and fulfilling the ancient promise: 'Ye shall be as gods.' As we pass temporarily through this world, we shed our skin like the serpent, again and again, striving to transcend our limitations and become something greater."

In a nod to the band's early years, a couple of new tracks also appear in Norwegian. "These songs could have been in English," Silenoz explained, "but our native language felt more appropriate for certain subjects. For example, 'Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel', the album's leading single, deals with heritage and bloodline, passing something essential on to those who come after you."

"Choosing the singles this time?" he laughed. "I honestly didn't know where to start, every song felt like it could be a leading track."

On the topic of the collaboration with Nordström, Silenoz said: "He knows us and the sound we're after. We drifted apart for a time while working with other people, but when he remixed 'Puritanical' a few years back, it reminded us just how strong our connection still was. Working with him again felt completely natural and the results couldn't be better."

From the outset, the sonic goal was crystal clear. "We wanted the album to sound like DIMMU BORGIR as a live unit," Silenoz grinned. "What you hear is what was actually played. The sound is organic and powerful, absolutely no hyper-quantized modern metal aesthetics, and no 'typewriter' kick drums."

When mixing and mastering were completed as the final autumn days grew shorter and darker, Nordström delivered a verdict Silenoz won't soon forget.

"Fredrik told us this was the best DIMMU BORGIR album he's ever worked on," he recalled. "He didn't have to say that and he's a straight shooter. When he says something like that, he genuinely means it."

Silenoz paused, then smiled. "I know it's a massive cliché to say this is our best album," he admitted. "But look at it this way: why would we even bother doing this if we didn't feel that way ourselves? When both the band and the producer feel the mission has been fully accomplished, whatever comes from the outside; fans, journalists, critics — is secondary. If people love it, great. If there's criticism, that's fine too. It doesn't affect us. We walk our own dark paths regardless."

"Grand Serpent Rising" track listing:

01. Tridentium
02. Ascent
03. As Seen In The Unseen
04. The Qryptfarer
05. Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
06. Repository Of Divine Transmutation
07. Slik Minnes En Alkymist
08. Phantom Of The Nemesis
09. The Exonerated
10. Recognizant
11. At The Precipice Of Convergence
12. Shadows Of A Thousand Perceptions
13. Gjǫll

Photo credit: Stian Andersen