DIMMU BORGIR release single 'Ascent'
24-04-2026
Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have released “Ascent”, the second single from their upcoming album, “Grand Serpent Rising”, which will arrive on May 22 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Watch “Ascent” below.
DIMMU BORGIR vocalist Stian “Shagrath” Thoresen comments on the track: “Musically, ‘Ascent’ is more ferocious and direct than the first single, ‘Ulvgjeld & Blodsødel’. Together, the two tracks showcase the musical scope of the album in a great way. From the outset, we’ve said that ‘Grand Serpent Rising’ stands as one of our most diverse records to date, and these songs underline exactly that.”
DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven “Silenoz” Kopperud adds: “‘Ascent’ is about the grand serpent rising through your spinal cord. It is not a pretty experience but it is a necessary one — in order to reach higher consciousness and levels of understanding. It’s a voyage of transformation and surrender.”
Watch the previously released ‘Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel’ below.
Shagrath comments: “I truly feel we’ve outdone ourselves musically on this album. It’s been a long and demanding process, but seeing how it all came together makes it incredibly rewarding. Grand Serpent Rising reflects every era of Dimmu Borgir — This album carries echoes of every chapter of Dimmu Borgir’s legacy — I believe our fans will recognize that, and find something within it that truly resonates.”
Even the sheer weight of the album title speaks volumes.
“It fits perfectly,” guitarist Silenoz explains. “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.”
Grand Serpent Rising was recorded in Gothenburg with acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström, whose legacy with the band includes landmark releases Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia and Death Cult Armageddon. The collaboration once again captures the band at their most expansive and ferocious, blending orchestral grandeur with unrelenting black metal intensity.
The album comes in following formats:
CD Jewelcase
2LP + 1CD, 24-Page Mediabook, Transparent Green with Black + White Marble Vinyl
2LP Gatefold Black Vinyl
2LP Gatefold Dark Green Vinyl
2LP Gatefold Gold Vinyl (Norway Exclusive)
2LP Gatefold Crystal Clear Vinyl (Sweden Rock Exclusive)
2LP Gatefold Pearl Flip Waterfall Vinyl
2LP Gatefold Gold with Black Marble Vinyl (Revolver Exclusive)
Track List:
1. Tridentium
2. Ascent
3. The Qryptfarer
4. As Seen in the Unseen
5. Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel
6. Repository of Divine Transmutation
7. Slik Minnes en Alkymist
8. Phantom of the Nemesis
9. The Exonerated
10. Recognizant
11. At the Precipice of Convergence
12. Shadows of a Thousand Perceptions
13. Gjǫll
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