Originally released back in 1995, Stormblåst is considered by many to be a milestone in Dimmu Borgir’s career, which now spans over a decade. Naturally they risk ruffling a few “troo-metal” feathers by messing with something considered so “sacred” and the band even address this within the CD inlay. Their opinion? Basically, “if you don’t like it, tough – we are doing this record for ourselves and no-one else”. And quite rightly so - but is it any good?

Well in a word, yes. Stormblåst MMV brings the original bang up to date with a crisp sound and a meaty production. More old-school black metal fans needn’t fear either – while it is indeed a total re-recording, producer Peter Tagtren (Hypocrisy, Bloodbath) has kept the original stripped down, raw, black-metal guitar sound at the heart of the album, and not - as I myself had feared - drowned the music in a sea of orchestral samples and over the top theatrical clap-trap to cover up a lack of originality (something that “Death Cult Armageddon” was easily guilty of). Yes folks, Stormblåst no longer sounds like it was recorded in a shed on a dictaphone – so surely that’s a good thing.

Tracks “Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen”, “Dodsferd”, “Antikrist”, “Stormblåst” and “Da Den Kristne Satte Livet Til” in particular sound better then ever, with the two new songs (made especially for the MMV release) also fitting in nicely rather than being noticeably different due to the band’s current output. (Proving that, should they want to, they could do this sort of stripped down approach again in future). The feel and style of the album shifts effortlessly between the folk inspired black metal of bands like Bathory and Falkenbach, to the traditional sound of the Norweigan big guns such as Mayhem (Indeed – Hellhammer plays drums on this album).

The only noticeable thing that may annoy hardcore fans (but doesn’t really bother me I have to say) is that on some tracks, a lot of the original keyboard sections have either been removed, or reduced to a bare minimum. There is no doubt that this is now very much a guitar based album, bar a few enriching atmospherics.

The music alone is good, but as a total package the Stormblåst MMV album is excellent. Featuring some of the best cover art I’ve seen in ages, it also comes in a gatefold case with a DVD of their recent Ozzfest Tour – a full 30 minute concert for your viewing pleasure (and none of this shaky, handycam nonsense either). Stormblåst MMV is well worth picking up for even the casual fan, and is not guilty of being a mere money-making “stop gap” until the next proper album arrives (as so often is the case!). A definite thumbs up!

Standout Tracks:  Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen, Stormblåst, Antikrist, Dodsferd.