Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth & Dark Funeral in Helsinki

Let’s be frank: for all its noble history as one of the foremost countries in metal music, not least the more extreme incarnations of the genre, in terms of global logistics Finland is no more than a minor market on the fringe of a small continent. Hard to reach by anything but ships or airplanes, and unfortunately no longer a convenient stop on the way to Saint Petersburg and Moscow. As fuel costs soar, the number of foreign artists touring our little corner of the world inevitably declines, and the biggest stars already opt for a three-night residence in Stockholm rather than a proper tour of the Nordic countries. But to the joy of fans, some promoters prefer a different way of rationalizing: sending two or three big-name bands together on the road as a co-headlining bundle, ensuring full halls and a welcome breeze of festival atmosphere even on a chilly spring or autum day. Already last year Behemoth visited Helsinki’s venerable Ice Hall as part of an impressive package, The Unholy Trinity together with Satyricon and Rotting Christ. This time they were joined by Dimmu Borgir and Dark Funeral under the motto In League With Satan.

Whereas the Trinity tour had lived up to its name by allocating fairly similar playing times to all three participants, League followed the co-headlining principle. Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir took turns playing the main slot on alternate nights, while Dark Funeral clearly functioned as an opening act. Given the three bands’ almost equally long careers, the 30-minute slot assigned to the Swedes seemed unfairly short, especially since they started already at 7 pm when the large hall still was only about half full. Undeterred, they delivered a concentrated onslaught of five sure-fire bangers, starting with “Unchain My Soul” from the latest album before harking to their debut The Secrets of the Black Arts. And if not by then, vocalist Heljarmadr made sure to claim full attention when introducing “The Arrival of Satan’s Empire” by enlisting the help of the audience to salute God. The bewilderment lasted only for a second before the hall erupted into cheerful chant of the classic Finnish rebuff “Haista vittu!”

Next on stage were Behemoth in all their Luciferian glory. Just a bit over a couple of months ago, Nergal had stood on this very same stage together with some old friends of mine, Misþyrming from Reykjavík, for a special performance of Behemoth’s debut album Sventevith. Against the fresh memory of this brutal, unpolished blast from the past, the regular 2026 set with its elaborate stage props, costumes and pyrotechnics was quite another world, impressively visualizing how far the band has come from its raw beginnings. Fortunately, the intensity is undiminished and the flaming spectacle embellishes the strength of the delivery rather than covering up possible weaknesses. On the other hand, toning down the show effects for “To Drown the Svn in Wine” and letting the music (plus the Walt Whitman -inspired incantation) speak for itself made this song all the more memorable. My only minor niggle would be that the set could have been a bit more concise and without unnecessary breaks between songs. Or, for that matter, at the end – when in the role of the middle act, just launch straight into “O Father O Satan O Sun!” which everyone is expecting anyway.

Much as I dig Behemoth, my best-loved band of the night by far was Dimmu Borgir. Fortunately in Helsinki it was their turn to own the main slot, and quite approriately so for their first “club” gig on Finnish soil in 16 years. Back in 2010 they played together with Enslaved and Sahg at Kulttuuritalo, which of late has been renovated into a proper rock and metal venue but back then was notorious for crappy light and sound. The few Helsinki shows since then had been festival gigs in full daylight, so enjoying the band’s atmospheric lightshow in a dark hall was an extra rare treat. Pyros were present, too, but less extensively than during the Behemoth set.

According to kitchen psychology, a person’s favourite albums are often linked to special memories, and I am not here to challenge this theory. Dimmu Borgir’s latest album was released just in time to become the soundtrack of the loveliest summer of my life, so I was perfectly happy that the set included three songs from “Grand Serpent Rising”. But the older material was just as well represented; the set was a balanced retrospective of the Norwegians’ long career and included songs from all but the first two albums. The serpent theme was reflected in the visual imagery as well as in the selection of older songs, which included “The Serpentine Offering”, “Reptile” and “Council Of Wolves And Snakes”. The latter began with an extended percussion intro, during which Shagrath accompanied Daray on a huge separate drum. It was slightly weird to see Dimmu Borgir without Galder, but new guitarist Damage did a solid job as Silenoz’s sidekick and got to shine during his solo in “Ascent”.

The set was tightly knit with one highlight following the other, but the most special performance awaited close to the end. Following the 2010 hit “Gateways”, Shagrath reminded the audience that the name of this tour was borrowed from “the old gods” of black metal, Venom, whose vocalist Cronos had passed away at the beginning of this month. On their recent EP I, Scvlptor, Behemoth had included a cover version of “In League With Satan” featuring Shagrath on vocals; now Nergal joined Dimmu Borgir on stage to perform the 1981 classic in honor of Cronos. After this befitting tribute, the evening culminated in the anthem “Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse”, a perfect closer to a fantastic show. Tusen takk!

Setlist Dimmu Borgir:

1. Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
2. Mourning Palace
3. Kings of the Carnival Creation
4. Council of Wolves and Snakes
5. As Seen in the Unseen
6. Ascent
7. Reptile
8. The Serpentine Offering
9. Puritania
10. Gateways
11. In League With Satan
12. Progenies of the Great Apocalypse