Behind the Player: Dimmu Borgir Guitarists Galder & Silenoz: Guitar DVD

This DVD captures working musicians at the highest level of their craft, offering unvarnished insight into how professionals approach complex material. The VideoTab system transforms abstract notation into observable technique, letting guitarists see exactly where fingers land and how the parts interconnect. For metal students, this is mentorship from someone who has spent decades solving the specific problems that arise when layering intricate harmonies over blast beats and tremolo-picked passages.

Intricate and relentless. Dimmu Borgir's guitar work balances baroque harmonic sophistication with the raw aggression of double-kick drums and orchestral synth layers. These songs demand focus and stamina while offering the intellectual satisfaction of executing genuinely complex material.

Intermediate to advanced metal guitarists who want to deepen their command of symmetrical metal riffing and polyphonic lead work. This material rewards players who can already read tab fluently and handle tremolo picking at speed; it's less about learning metal fundamentals and more about understanding how elite musicians craft their parts within a specific band's sound world.

• Study the video in sections rather than trying to absorb complete songs at once. Pause frequently to isolate single techniques, then build your speed gradually.
• Pay attention to right-hand mechanics. Metal guitar at this level demands precision in pick angle and pressure; the VideoTab playback will show you nuances that tabs alone cannot communicate.
• Use the rare footage as a window into how these parts function in a full band context. Hearing where your line sits relative to drums and bass clarifies rhythmic decisions that can feel ambiguous on paper.
• Record yourself playing against the original recordings. This trains your ear to the actual tones and helps you identify where your phrasing or timing diverges from the masters.

This works best as a supplemental resource for students in an advanced elective or directed study rather than ensemble rehearsal material. Assign specific lessons to guitarists working on metal technique, or use clips from the documentary footage during sectional rehearsals to discuss how professional musicians balance individual artistry within a collaborative arrangement.

• Tremolo picking precision and endurance
• Playing melodic lines over syncopated rhythmic foundations
• Harmonic layering and counterpoint in extreme metal contexts
• Reading and executing complex tab notation
• Matching articulation and tone to a recorded reference