Dimmu Borgir @ The Vic, Chicago (US)

DIMMU BORGIR / HULDER

Date: 12th August, 2026
Venue: The Vic Theatre
Ticket Price: $75/€64 - $99/€85
Promoter: Jam Productions

Friday night found Chicago welcoming back DIMMU BORGIR, and judging by the reaction inside the Vic Theatre, this was a reunion that had been long overdue. To be fair, I am almost certain this would have been a sold-out show had not HYPOCRISY canceled their participation due to Visa issues. This is frustrating for both interested parties; the fans after having bought the tickers when the tour was announced have every right to feel disappointed, and then the headliners who may see a decrease in attendance. Sure, one can wonder why another band wasn’t added but considering the paperwork required (for another European act) and the ‘waiting if Visas will go through’ delay cannot be the optimum conditions for such a change. I just wish the Visa process for touring artists to become faster and, yes, cheaper because at the end of the day everybody wins. Especially the fans.

Instead of adding any other band to fill the gap (doing that could potentially create more frustration), HULDER had extended their setlist, something that worked for the band and the fans alike. With “Verbolgen” still hot from the oven, HULDER had the opportunity to give metalheads a two-song treat from their third album, and reach out to fans who haven’t heard them before this show. Plus, HULDER’s Black Metal has strong ties to the Scandinavian sound, so having them taking the extra load worked perfectly to prep the way for the Norwegians.

At 7:30pm, the lights went down and under amber spotlights, HULDER entered the stage with guitarist Keld and bassist Necreon having their backs turned to the audience as the recorded intro was setting the mood. The two banners behind the two gentlemen, and Hulder’s impressive, tree-branch mic stand were the finishing touches to the band’s onstage presence. Without saying a single word, "A Beacon From Darkened Skies" was the first song of the HULDER set. There was something ritualistic about the way the stage looked, with the silhouettes appearing and disappearing behind the smoke, while the music did the rest of the work. Sometimes a Black Metal concert doesn’t need lots of bells and whistles to create an overwhelming atmosphere, and HULDER were able to deliver a set that shouldn’t be considered as “just an opener.”

With the snare-drum reaching blast-beats tempo both "View From Nemeton" and "Sylvan Awakening" extended an impossible to ignore invitation to mosh although the multi-leveled floor of The Vic does not allow for extensive mosh-pits. The transition to the mid-tempo of the first part of “Hearken The End” created a nice contrast with the first three blasters and to my eyes/ears showcase HULDER’s wider and epic sound with strong ties to the European scene.

The transition into "Verses In Oath" came just as quickly, although the lighting changed again, this time moving into green shades and then darken the stage for "Vessel Of Suffering". Smoke, shadows and carefully chosen light-colors were enough to make the stage look like something removed from the normal Friday-night surroundings of The Vic.

Before the final song, the sound of falling rain came through the speakers while Hulder raised her hands, letting that taped intro slowly build the moment before "...And We Shall Sing" closed the set. HULDER left the stage after 42 minutes that felt focused and properly paced. There were no unnecessary distractions and no effort to make the show bigger than the music demanded. “Verbolgen” deserves more spins as the band can evidently deliver from the stage.

HULDER setlist:

01. "A Beacon From Darkened Skies"
02. "View From Nemeton"
03. "Sylvan Awakening"
04. "Hearken The End"
05. "Verses In Oath"
06. "Vessel Of Suffering"
07. "Drie Raven"
08. "...And We Shall Sing"

HULDER

There was a considerably longer changeover before the house lights finally disappeared again at 8:55pm. This time the stage was filled with smoke, while the microphone stand remained illuminated in the darkness as the taped intro started. Daray appeared first behind his drum-kit that was standing tall on the riser with bassist Victor Brandt, keyboardist Gerlioz, and guitarist Damage, accompanying the two original DIMMU BORGIR members, Shagrath and Silenoz. The audience’s sheer excitement and loud cheers were proof of how much the Chicago metalheads have missed the band that wasted no time getting into "Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel". The "hey, hey" chants started early before Shagrath asked, "Chicago, are you alive?" This was probably not a question requiring an answer, but The Vic gave him one anyway.

The next song needed no special announcement as Gerlioz laid down the dramatic keyboard intro for “Mourning Palace” that took my mind back to 2003 when the release “Enthrone Darkness Triumphant” shook hard the Metal scene. Hearing “Kings Of The Carnival Creation” next became obvious that this night was not going to focus on one particular era of DIMMU BORGIR but attempt to touch upon as many albums as possible.

By "Kings Of The Carnival Creation", Shagrath was already pushing the audience to become louder, almost taunting one side and then the other to see who could scream more. Before the guitar solo, he introduced the guitarist to another loud response, while the band continued feeding off an audience that needed very little encouragement. The stage went dark and a tom drum was brought onstage for the hooded Shagrath to join Daray introducing "Council Of Wolves And Snakes", with the wolves howling adding the icing to the cake.

The crowd volume remained high, which gave Shagrath the perfect opportunity to finally address the band's long absence. "More than eight years. Have you missed us?" he asked, and after hearing the loud response he added, "We surely missed you." This exchange created a sense of catching up between the band and an audience that had waited a long time for this show. Before "As Seen In The Unseen", Shagrath kept pushing that connection, telling the crowd that he could see them but also wanted to f*cking hear them, and once again Chicago happily followed instructions. Blue lights replaced the purple for "Ascent", while thick smoke once again swallowed parts of the stage, especially during the guitar solo delivered by Damage.

After the two-song segment from the latest DIMMU BORGIR album, "Grand Serpent Rising", it was another blast (pun intended) from the past with "Stormblåst", with lights adding to the colder atmosphere of the song. "Are we having a good Friday so far?" Shagrath asked before explaining that DIMMU BORGIR were performing a mixture of old and new material. He then went back to "Spiritual Black Dimensions" for "Reptile", and the green lighting gave the stage yet another visual transformation.

After announcing "The Insight And The Catharsis", Shagrath demanded, "Chicago, let me see your horns." Needless to say, there was no shortage of raised hands, especially during the keyboard section where the lighting shifted attention toward the back of the stage. After another "thank you so much," the band walked off, although nobody inside The Vic seriously believed the night was finished.

Blue and purple lights announced their return for "The Serpentine Offering", and now the clapping was joined by the first crowd-surfer I had noticed making the trip toward the front. The ominous opening of "Puritania" followed under heavy smoke, and this was one of those songs whose mechanical rhythm works even better live because the entire room seems to move with it. Once again DIMMU BORGIR took a moment to applaud the audience before "Gateways". By that moment, the relationship between band and crowd had become completely straightforward. Shagrath only needed a "f*ck yeah" to get another roar in return.

Before the final song, he also took the time to thank HULDER, and then added, "If there is any doubt, we are DIMMU BORGIR from Norway," before the massive opening of "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse" filled The Vic. There are songs that simply make sense as closers, and this one has all the necessary ingredients: the huge orchestral arrangement, the riffs, the dramatic pauses and the type of chorus that sounds even larger when hundreds of voices are adding to it.

With the recorded “Perfection Or Vanity” blasting from the PAs, the band took the appropriate ‘audience at the back’ photos, and shook as many hands possible. DIMMU BORGIR completed a 13-song set spanning their entire back-catalogue, underlining that more than eight years was a long time to stay away. Judging by what Shagrath said from the stage seeing the audience’s reaction, the feeling was mutual. Hopefully we will not have to wait another eight years to do this again.

DIMMU BORGIR setlist:

01. "Ulvgjeld & Blodsodel"
02. "Mourning Palace"
03. "Kings Of The Carnival Creation"
04. "Council Of Wolves And Snakes"
05. "As Seen In The Unseen"
06. "Ascent"
07. Guitar Solo
08. "Stormblåst"
09. "Reptile"
10. "The Insight And The Catharsis"
11. "The Serpentine Offering"
12. "Puritania"
13. "Gateways"
14. "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse"

DIMMU BORGIR