Darkness Falls as Dimmu Borgir Claims Toronto Once Again
- jaybroderick
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
By: Jay Broderick
Toronto, Canada - History has become another favourite Toronto Live Music Venue of mine. Wait... who am I kidding? At this point, I can honestly say there isn’t a single Toronto venue I dislike. But History seems to bring a vibe all its own. It's an amazing space, plenty wide for us photographers to move around, even when there are 16 of us. The sound is superb, and the lighting is world class. Tonight’s energy hit different right from the jump. Two dudes from Vancouver made the trek across the entire country for this show, meeting up with a friend from Niagara, a friend they originally met in Transylvania, of all places. A place they travelled to to see Norway's Black Metal leaders Dimmu Borgir. Formed in 1993, the band's name is taken from the Icelandic volcanic formation, that actually translates to "dark fortresses". The travelling metal heads are a clearly dedicated trio. It's the kind of dedication this band inspires. Fan commitment was also evident in easily identifiable ways. They rolled in with full makeup, faces painted white and black, horns up, ready for the heavy beatings.
The mood ahead of this show was undeniable. Electric! Communal! Buzzing! This was going to be an absolutely crazy night.
Hulder
Darkness fell across the setting. Fog swallowed the stage. The atmosphere was perfect as death and gloom crept over anybody who was not familiar with Washington's black metal demons Hulder. The band emerged from the blackness. Led by frontwoman Marliese Beeuwsaert, her long blond hair hanging well past her waist, her face covered in stark white and black makeup, Hulder is a mythical, Scandinavian creature of seduction. The ritualistic, pitch-black atmosphere perfectly told the tale.
A gently ominous, classical guitar sounding intro greeted the already seemingly packed house. Then her voice, the epitome of black death, tore through the venue for the band's 10 minute opening track "A Beacon From Darkening Skies". This was a shitty atmosphere for those of us trying to get a few clean, lit shots of the band, but damn, the whole scene in front of us was unsettling and creepy as hell. PERFECT!
During the breakdown of "Verses in Oath", Beeuwsaert's headbanging looked wicked. Her long locks flowing with the beat was such a cool visual, and when the song ended abruptly, the crowd exploded. No pause, no chatter... the band launched straight into the next track as they did all night. When the band got to "Drie Raven", the slow intro, white and orange spotlights backlighting the band, and the singer's chants built the tension even further. And then the final track kicked off hard. The band banged to a brooding, crushing beat. As "...And We Shall Sing" ended, the vocalist growled “thank you”, and the band walked off stage.
Hulder Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Dimmu Borgir
Tonight was billed as a 3 band assault. Sweden's Hypocrisy was to pick up the middle slot, but somehow didn't make it across the border for the Toronto date of the tour. Wouldn't be the first time this happened, but for a band that is already in North America from abroad, I'm curious to know what exactly happened. So it was onto the headliners.
A tucked cloak. The sounds of impending doom. Smoke filling the stage. The same mood carried from tonight's opening act as Dimmu Borgir rumbled into their opening track “Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel.” Each member stood in full white and black makeup, stepping right up to the front of the stage, offering incredible photo ops as they treated the fans with their brand of intensely heavy music. The crowd’s finger horns shot high, and there they would stay...
"Mourning Palace" came next, and then during "Kings of the Carnival Creation", I noticed the band's newest member, guitarist Kjell Åge "Damage" Karlsen... blood was dripping down his arm.... and then I took a better look at his face. What I originally assumed to be make up, was actually blood, dripping from his scalp. Because I am a fan of horror, I thought it was super cool. There was only one thing to do as the guitarist ripped through his leads... and that was to get a close up shot. COOL!!!
Then that saddest of moments for a concert photographer... the end of the 3rd song... As the masses of media herded out of the photo pit, those of use with review tickets had to check our gear. Unusual at this venue, but we always, respectfully follow the rules. The good thing here is the bag check is literally right there in the venue, so I able to get checked and find myself a great spot to watch the rest of the show as Dimmu Borgir was still banging through their 4th track "Council of Wolves and Snakes". Midway through the song, a red glow engulfed the stage. White beams flashed like strobes. Then everything shifted to blue — a full visual assault.
Dimmu Borgir's vocalist Shagrath finally addressed the crowd. “All the way from Norway! Good evening Toronto, Canada!" There was less than a typical Toronto Metal greeting. So he belted out again, "I said GOOD EVENING TORONTO." That brought the roar that should have been expected. "It’s been more than eight years — a long fucking time" he went on. "But we have a new album out called Grand Serpent Rising. Have you heard it?" Again, the crowd wasn't in the mood for talking. "I can see you, but I can’t fucking hear you!” The crowd erupted and the band tore into “As Seen in the Unseen”, a track from the new record. The lighting was unreal! Red-soaked with white beams shooting through. A dude walked past me drenched in sweat. As with the less than stellar crowd interaction, I didn’t see a ton of moshing, but clearly he’d been busy.
The band rolled into “Ascent.” The light show continued, white beams turning green. I didn’t have my regular earplugs tonight... shoutout to security for hooking me up with a foam pair... but they muffled the sound too much. Honestly, I don't like wearing them at all... even the good ones. But it's critical... especially for a dude that has had his eardrums blasted for 45 years of going to rock concerts. I had to take these foam ones out to get a proper listen. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. That sweet loudness. The band sounded amazing, and in fact, the crowd was a lot louder than I originally thought.
Then the band was gone... all except the bleeding guitarist who came front and center, and his keyboardist mate Geir “Gerlioz” Bratland. The later has filled the role as the touring key-player since 2010. "Damage" Karlsen hammered his six‑string, moving side to side, arms shooting up in appreciation, in a guitar solo that peaked a few minutes later. The band reappeared and burst into “Stormblåst.” Standing on the slightly raised level at the back of the venue, the lights flashed into the crowd, outlining fans in silhouette. It was at this moment that it truly dawned on me... Man, this venue is amazing!
“Alrighty! So Toronto, are you having a good Monday?” Shagrath engaged again. “The first time we played Toronto was 1999… so we’re going to travel back to that time.” They launched into “Reptile” from their 1999 album Spiritual Black Dimensions. The drums pounded, the rhythm section hammered, the track exploded in a frenzy, and FINALLY, so did the crowd. A mosh pit fired up. Whether there were any ahead of this, I can't say. I certainly didn't take notice from the vantage point I held the whole night, other than the first 3 songs in the photo pit. Yes, at that time, fans were pumped, and horns were raised, but at any event, this one was real, and the fans visibly got into it, arms shooting to the sky, fists punching toward the stage, and the first crowd surfer made their way to the front.
The final leg of a concert set that was nearly a decade in the making. The band rolled through "The Insight and the Catharsis", "The Serpentine Offering" and chants of “DIMMU BORGIR!” rang through the 2500 capacity venue as the drum intro to “Puritania” pounded through the venue. A driving track that had the crowd banging along. As the band closed out with the superlative "Progenies of the Great Apocalypse", the crowd exploded with a fervor that brought it all together. And Dimmu Borgir exited.
Set List
Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
Mourning Palace
Kings of the Carnival Creation
Council of Wolves and Snakes
As Seen in the Unseen
Ascent
Stormblåst
Reptile
The Insight and the Catharsis
The Serpentine Offering
Puritania
Gateways
Progenies of the Great Apocalypse
I ate this stuff up when I was a teenager. I needed heavier, and heavier. Bands like AC/DC turned into Iron Maiden who turned into Slayer who evolved into Venom and Unleashed. Eventually, I started listening to a lot of alternative music into my late 20s and 30s, but the past few years have drawn me back into the metal world.
While I'm not the biggest metalcore or deathcore fan, Hulder and Dimmu Borgir made me realize... man, I love black metal and death metal!
Dimmu Borgir Photo Gallery (all photos by: Jay Broderick)
Dimmu Borgir Online
Show Date: August 10, 2026
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