DIMMU BORGIR

It's the perfect gift for those who would like to terrorize their relatives during the Christmas period. "Inspiratio Profanus" compiles all the cover versions that DIMMU BORGIR have recorded over the years into one big, black and bellicose tribute to the bands that fueled the Norwegians' collective fire in their early days (and, presumably, beyond). All of the tracks have been newly remastered and sound as explosive and malevolent as one might expect, but with strong undercurrents of rawness and filth that neatly fit the record's nostalgic remit.

Metalheads may struggle to think of a band that hasn't covered VENOM's "Black Metal" at some point over the last 40 years, but as grand ambassadors of the entire genre, DIMMU BORGIR remain the perfect, venomous mimics. Their version is tighter and faster than the original, but still exudes snottiness, spite and a fervent, unwavering dedication to black metal itself; not just in terms of music, but also as a dividing line in art, culture and attitude. It rips, so lay down your souls, and that's an order.

BATHORY's "Satan My Master" also receives the heads down, fight-to-the-finish treatment. Necessarily uglier and spikier than anything else here, it sounds like it was recorded amidst piles of beer cans and broken teeth. Even more disturbing is "Dead Men Don't Rape". Originally by esoteric industrial crew G.G.F.H. , it eschews the usual DIMMU bombast in favor of stuttering electronics, acrid synth rasps and a vocal from Shagrath that teeters on the edge of genuinely unhinged. When blastbeats and skin-scouring riffs erupt, the accumulated sound becomes even more inhuman and unsettling, the grim, singalong chorus notwithstanding.

CELTIC FROST's "Nocturnal Fear" is an easy victory for these students of metal's dark side. The regular version is as barbaric and imperious as it gets, and DIMMU BORGIR show the original all due respect while simultaneously ripping it a new asshole in true punk rock fashion. Nothing, however, comes close to the Norse veterans' take on TWISTED SISTER's "Burn In Hell". A brutal, black-hearted riot, it even overshadows the band's brilliantly pompous and ingenious trot through DEEP PURPLE's "Perfect Strangers" and a wickedly deadpan demolition of ACCEPT's "Metal Heart". A climactic, alternate version of "Nocturnal Fear" seems slightly redundant, but even in modified form, it's an absolute face-scraper.

Covers albums traditionally range from the inspired to the insipid. "Inspiratio Profanus" belongs squarely in the former camp: cherished hymns to the black, executed by frostbitten lifers. Demand a copy from Santa.