On Saturday, March 30, 2024, three former members of DIMMU BORGIR, bassist/clean vocalist Simen “ICS Vortex” Hestnæs, keyboardist Øyvind “Mustis” Mustaparta and drummer Ian Kenneth “Tjodalv” Åkesson rejoined the Norwegian Symphonic Black metallers on stage, during their set at the Inferno festival at the Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway. They performed the song “The Insight And The Catharsis” from their 1999 album “Spiritual Black Dimensions”.
When DIMMU BORGIR parted ways with ICS Vortex and Mustis in August 2009, the band stated that the creative force in the band was highly intact, perhaps even more so than ever. However, Mustis later issued a statement claiming that his dismissal from the band was due to his efforts to address the fact that many songs he had written were not properly credited to him. He also mentioned facing difficulties in finding a solution to the problem and ultimately being fired from the group via text message. A day later, ICS Vortex released his own statement, calling Mustis as the true creative force in DIMMU BORGIR for the last ten years.
In response, the remaining members of DIMMU BORGIR fired back at their former bandmates, stating that they had put up with unprofessionalism and bad live performances for years. They also claimed to have been falsely accused in statements posted online by the recently fired members, based on their ignorance, bitterness, and greed.
DIMMU BORGIR’s current lineup officially consists of a trio: Stian Tomt “Shagrath” Thoresen on lead vocals, Sven Atle “Silenoz” Kopperud on rhythm guitar and Tom Rune “Galder” Anderson on lead guitar. They are joined by session musicians Dariusz “Daray” Brzozowski on drums since 2008, Geir “Gerlioz” Bratland on keyboards since 2010 and Victor Brandt on bass since 2018.
A video of their appearance in Inferno Festival 2024 can be seen below:
I’ve been lucky to watch them already, best lineup ever! Vortex voice coming from averno!! And Mustis! Being Mustis! ✨️
I can honestly say this brought me to tears when I heard it. I have been waiting for so many years for this moment, and now I feel there is chance that this will happen again and maybe even a full concert. Wow….