Dimmu Borgir Artwork Banned in North America

posted Mar 30, 2007 at 5:22 PM by zMETALlica. (34 Comments)

Band Photo: Dimmu Borgir (?)

Artwork for Norwegian melodic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR's upcoming album, In Sorte Diaboli - which is scheduled for an April 24th release in North America - has been banned by retailers. The slipcover artwork can be viewed at the end of this article.

The North American version of the "The Serpentine Offering" single will be available for digital download at iTunes.com beginning April 3rd (not March 30th as previously stated) and will include the following three songs: "The Serpentine Offering," "The Serpentine Offering" (Video Edit), and an instrumental version of "The Heretic Hammer" as an EXCLUSIVE track.

DIMMU BORGIR have announced their headlining tour of the U.S. and Canada with Unearth from Massachusetts, California's Devildriver, and Canada's Kataklysm, which begins Friday, April 20th in Cleveland, Ohio. Pre-sale tickets for The Invaluable Darkness Tour are available here. A complete listing of tour dates can be viewed here.

"It's been too long... The wait is over - FINALLY!" stated DIMMU songwriter/guitarist Silenoz. "It is with great anticipation that we look forward to start, for once, a World Tour on North American soil! We're excited to have Unearth, Devildriver and Kataklysm on this diabolic ride and can't wait to meet all our loyal fans and friends old and new once again. Come join us in The Invaluable Darkness!"

Unearth's Trevor Phipps predicts "this tour is going to be an un-fucking-real diverse clash of heavy music. We haven't hit the road with DIMMU since the 2004 Ozzfest. Devil Driver is always a great band to share the stage with and Kataklysm is one of the best death metal bands around today. Good times ahead!"

KATAKLYSM lead singer Maurizio Iacono chimes in: "We especially thank Silenoz for hand-picking KATAKLYSM for the tour. We are honored and look forward to sharing the stage with the other bands on the package - Unearth and Devildriver. We promise you that heads will roll!!"

Teaming up once again with producers Fredrik Nordström (Opeth, Arch Enemy, At The Gates) and Patrik J. Sten at the new Studio Fredman in Hyssna, Sweden, In Sorte Diaboli is DIMMU BORGIR's first concept album and a treatise on modern day political and social abuses of organized religion. An epic tale set in medieval Europe, this first-person account of an acolyte is told through his own journal entries, depicting his personal struggle with the teachings of the church. Experiencing a life-altering epiphany, he abandons the church completely, and his spiritual victory is won through his rejection of the concept of god.

In Sorte Diaboli will be available in North America in two different formats: a jewel-case CD and a limited edition digipak ( + bonus track, + bonus DVD with the Patric Ullaeus-directed video for "The Serpentine Offering," + "The Making Of In Sorte Diaboli" in-studio/behind the scenes footage). The complete track listing is as follows:

01. The Serpentine Offering
02. The Chosen Legacy
03. The Conspiracy Unfolds
04. The Sacrilegious Scorn
05. The Fallen Rises
06. Heretic Hammer (EXCLUSIVE North American Bonus Track)
07. The Sinister Awakening
08. The Fundamental Alienation
09. The Invaluable Darkness
10. The Foreshadowing Furnace

You can view the banned cover art on Dimmu Borgir's home page. Below is the slipcover art for Dimmu Borgir's "In Sorti Diaboli" based on the same art (you can view the full sized slipcover artwork here.):
Dimmu Borgir's In Sorti Diaboli

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34 Comments on "Dimmu Borgir Artwork Banned in North America"

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1. metalhead644 writes:

Is there something there Im not seeing? Why the hell is this being banned? This is one of the tamer covers Ive seen for a band of their sort....

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 7:04 PM ET | IP Logged

2. whitecluster writes:

Yeah I like Dimmu Borgir I think they are pretty good.

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 7:19 PM ET | IP Logged

3. Popctrl writes:

That's not the cover that I found at other plqaces, but on both (this one it's behind the letters.) there is some boobs.

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 7:43 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

4. slayerdisciple writes:

the cover for Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia was much worse then this one

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 8:04 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

5. deathbringer writes:

Yeah, there's "some boobs" behind the band's name. I'm not sure how large a version I could post without killing my bandwidth. I'll try to set up a link to the large version I have.

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 8:18 PM ET | IP Logged

6. AE writes:

The puritania cover was worse, and that wasnt banned

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 8:19 PM ET | IP Logged

7. AE writes:

By the way thats not the actual banned cover, go to the bands website to see the real cover

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 8:21 PM ET | IP Logged

Founder, owner & programmer

8. deathbringer writes:

Thanks for bearing with me guys. The art posted here is the slipcover art, as stated earlier in the post. I screwed up the caption right before the actual image though - my bad. I've linked to Dimmu's site as well for a pic of the banned art.

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 9:05 PM ET | IP Logged

9. Zero 54 writes:

Score one for Jesus

# Mar 30, 2007 @ 11:44 PM ET | IP Logged

10. In Sorti Diaboli writes:

anti-christ - 0
jesus - 1

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 5:31 AM ET | IP Logged

Member

11. SexBloodandMetal writes:

And they banned it WHY? If they banned it just because the goat woman had breasts, thats retarded...

I don't see anyone banning Boticelli's 'Birth of Venus' just because of full frontal nudity!

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 10:12 AM ET | IP Logged

12. AE writes:

Go look at the cover of Puritania by them, its a womans torso disembowled wapped in barbed wire exposing breasts. Why was that not banned?

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 10:39 AM ET | IP Logged

13. AE writes:

Byt the way, for those who want to hear the new stuff, they have released their single "The Serpantene Offering" on their MySpace page.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 12:18 PM ET | IP Logged

14. Death_Walking_Terror writes:

This is so f***in retarded that they are banning the artwork. its not hurting anyone. they are probably banning it because its probably making fun of religion or something

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 12:59 PM ET | IP Logged

15. AE writes:

The albums message is directed souly at the same people who banned the album. I agree with them that organized religion is a trajedy, and causes too much chaos.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 1:27 PM ET | IP Logged

Writer/Reviewer

16. RememberMetal? writes:

Yeah PEM was more shocking.....
This is proof of two things: Dimmus growing profile/visibility and that the far right's push for greater censorship in the public and private sectors continues to grow unchecked...

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 3:53 PM ET | IP Logged

17. AE writes:

You guys really need to post that Dimmu released their new single early on their MySpace page. Nobody knows about it!

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 4:06 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

18. Rue writes:

I agree. The breasts on the In Sorte Diaboli cover were just out in the open, where as the Puritanical cover was more bondage and violence, what with the barbed wire around the naked torso. I'll always remember Puritanical because it was given to me as a gift on Easter Sunday.

Dimmu haven't had a tour of their own in America for a while. I know they were on Ozzfest 2004, but does anybody remember the last support or headlining tour before Ozzfest? I think Children of Bodom were on said tour.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 6:34 PM ET | IP Logged

19. PorcupineTreeFan writes:

This year has so many big albums coming out and this is one. I plan to get both this and Porcupine Tree's "Fear of a Blank Planet" so I will get a my black metal fix and Porcupine Tree fix all in the month of April.

As far as the cover goes, I didn't think it was that bad. You all have to admit before seeing you all thought it was gonna be a lot worse. Oh well.... Album covers don't really matter to me. All that matters is that the music inside kicks a$$ and this album is gonna kick some ass!

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 6:50 PM ET | IP Logged

Writer/Reviewer

20. RememberMetal? writes:

I'm giddy for the new PT release. I'll review it for the site asap. Dimmu and Tomahawk as well. I cant wait for the new Pig Destroyer, Opeth, Dillinger and Riverside(similar to Porcupine Tree) and I'm crossing my fingers for the new Shadows Fall but I'm not holding my breath for the new NIN or Metallica.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 9:38 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

21. SexBloodandMetal writes:

RememberMetal?, I keep seeing 'true metal' rising above this year, maybe a Metal miracle will come with Metallica's new album...if not, then whatever...

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 10:16 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

22. Shmotz101 writes:

what the fukk is up with this? Just because Dimmu Borgir has a drawing of breasts on some goat woman on there album cover does not mean they have to banned it from retail. I bet if you go into some art museum you would see worse of like paintings of full frontal women and statues and stuff. I dont think they could ban artwork here in fukkmerica. WHAT THE FUKK HAPPENED TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH. America is going to hell for sure.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 10:44 PM ET | IP Logged

23. AE writes:

I think if America was going to hell they would not have banned that cover. It's not so much freedom of speach, as nothing is being "said". Its an offensive image to the 80% of people in this country who are blinded by mindless religion.

# Mar 31, 2007 @ 11:51 PM ET | IP Logged

24. fuck america and fuck the world! writes:

80% of people in this country who are blinded by mindless religion.

the world is full of f*** heads and you dont the begging of it all!!!

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 3:07 AM ET | IP Logged

Member

25. SexBloodandMetal writes:

I have an idea, exterminate the blinded of mindless religion

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 9:29 AM ET | IP Logged

26. AE writes:

Granted it would be nice to eradicate the religion, but then what would we have to be p***ed off about? It's always good to have a steady holy war. It's a metal heads version of Maury Povich. hahaha

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 12:00 PM ET | IP Logged

27. Mr. Chaos writes:

I like Dimmu's work, but I'm a Christian. It's possible to support a bands music, and not their message. I've been doing it for Slayer for years. Controversy sells.

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 12:56 PM ET | IP Logged

28. Death_Walking_Terror writes:

i don't think they are banning it because of the picture because if this was the case then the art work from almost all of Cannibal Corpses cds would be banned because their artwok is a lot more bloody and grotesque than any of Dimmu Borgirs. they are probably banning it because it symbolizes their anti-religious beliefs which offends all of these brainwashed mindless religious conservatives who need to shut the f*** up and quit trying to force their beliefs on others

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 3:48 PM ET | IP Logged

29. lxgrimmxl writes:

well, this has breast on the cover, big deal, puritanical had a wire-coverd naked torso, looked a lot worse than this and its banned? well whatever happen of the pursuit of any religion, since satanism is a religion why are they f***ing with it, im not satanic or part of any religion, but if it was a christian band they would have all rights to disrrespect satanism, but it cant be done the other way. well the thing they should be going after would be the songs which posses all the bad material (of course i dont want that and they better not do that) not a simple cover, what are they protecting people from? nothing, go after sh** that is bad for kids like mmm i dont know, bald-good-for-nothing-moms-that-drive-with-their-toddler-on-their-lap popstars or sh**ty rap, metal is rising and rap is drowning and i hope it does till its rotted to the bottom, death to rap hail metal, but mainly HAIL DIMMU BORGIR!!!!!

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 4:29 PM ET | IP Logged

30. happysatan13 writes:

Hmmm... the article says that retailers have banned it. I wonder if that means the normal art can befound at NA retailers who don't give a sh**. The record store I work at carries sh**loads of Black Metal, and don't care about what is on a cover since we've sold hardcore porn until the landlord told us to stop.
I guess I'll find out when I stock the cd.

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 7:20 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

31. SexBloodandMetal writes:

happysatan, I think the independent stores won't care about the cover

# Apr 1, 2007 @ 10:33 PM ET | IP Logged

Member

32. lucifer-sam writes:

Thats f***ing gay they should not bann that cd f*** soceity for I am lucifer-sam. Ha HA HA HA HA!

# Apr 2, 2007 @ 9:25 PM ET | IP Logged

33. Tokmangel writes:

fu***ng christians should die for that s**t!!!
Thats Bull S***

# Apr 5, 2007 @ 3:23 PM ET | IP Logged

34. Death Cult Legion writes:

What is so bad about it I agree with Tokmangel Christians should die for there F-ing whineing. Dimmu Borgir rules!

# Apr 6, 2007 @ 8:50 AM ET | IP Logged

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