Two years have passed after the re-recording of the epochal "Stormblast", and another two from their latest full-length album, "Death Cult Armageddon". If I continue this retrospection, in result we see 15 years from the start of Dimmu Borgir as a band. Yes, 15 years dedicated to composing apocalyptic creations. "In Sorte Diaboli" is the most recent proof that this time has been enough for the band to build its aggressive sound and to stand so steadfast in its beginnings. For the seventh time the Norwegians create some of the darkest metal melodies in their history. Shagrath is more stable than ever in his vocals, even though he's a bit fatter... He shows himself in his typical, well-known from his previous works, scary diabolical mood. In this album - once again - his voice is the main constructive element of the music and the irreplaceable piece of its unique sound. The first obvious thing in "In Sorte Diaboli" is that there are no musical experiments in comparison with the band's latest two albums. And this is the CD's main drawback. Fans of the previous efforts will be satisfied, but for those who expect some kind of progress - the lack will be obvious. If we look objectively, every composition is sophisticated and varied enough, but it won't impress the well-grounded listener. One of the most interesting things in this album is the concept uniting the songs in a story full of different characters. The epic melody presented by symphonic orchestra samples completes the whole sound really great, but it isn't a surprise neither. A new thing is only the sterility of the drumming, which can be heard in some songs. If you listen carefully, you can notice some guitar melodies which become lighter in advantage of the wall of sound made by the tandem keyboards-drums. The lyrics are full of the well-known links to religious themes, and on the cover artwork there's the good ol' goat again. It's tough for me to decide whether Dimmu Borgir like their previous two albums so much that they made "In Sorte Diaboli" like a hybrid between them on purpose. It is definitely one of their great albums, but not the best thing they've been capable of doing for these four years.