Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny — Symphonic Blast & Groove — Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir) Drum Lick | MetalForge
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Learn the Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny — Symphonic Blast & Groove drum lick by Nick Barker of Dimmu Borgir. From Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny (Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001)). "Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny" from Dimmu Borgir's Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) ...
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1. Nick Barker's Signature Licks — "Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny" from Dimmu Borgir's Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia (2001) was Nick Barker's studio debut with the band and one of the tracks that pushed the group's symphonic black metal sound to a wider international audience. Barker joined Dimmu Borgir in 1999 after six years behind the kit in Cradle of Filth, and this song demonstrates exactly the skill set that made him a natural fit: the ability to sustain relentless blast beats underneath dense orchestral arrangements without losing articulation or letting the blast overwhelm the mix. The track alternates between sections of sustained blasting and more spacious, mid-tempo passages that let the orchestration and Shagrath's vocals breathe, and Barker's drumming has to serve both modes convincingly. During the blast sections, his kick and snare maintain a driving, mechanically consistent pulse that locks tightly with the guitar tremolo picking, while his cymbal work stays controlled enough not to clash with the keyboard and orchestral layers that define Dimmu Borgir's sound. In the groove sections, Barker shows the same instinct for restraint that defined his tenure in both Cradle of Filth and later the grindcore band Lock Up — knowing when to pull back so the arrangement's other elements can carry the weight. For drummers, this track is valuable precisely because it isn't blast-beat drumming in isolation: it requires sustaining extreme metal intensity while staying subordinate to a dense, multi-layered production, a skill different from stripped-down blast-beat contexts like grindcore. Learning this song develops stamina for sustained blasting at a driving tempo, the discipline to keep blast-beat dynamics consistent under a wall of orchestration, and the sense of arrangement awareness needed to transition cleanly between blast and groove sections without losing the underlying pulse. "Blessings Upon the Throne of Tyranny" remains one of the definitive documents of Barker's studio work in symphonic black metal and a strong technical study for any drummer looking to blend blast-beat stamina with ensemble awareness.2. Nick Barker Profile — Sustain a driving, mechanically consistent blast pulse locked tightly to the guitar tremolo picking Keep cymbal work controlled during blast sections so it doesn't clash with the orchestral and keyboard layers Pull back dynamically in the groove sections, letting the arrangement's other elements carry the weight Transition cleanly between blast and groove sections without losing the underlying pulse Build stamina for sustained blasting at a driving tempo under a dense, multi-layered mix
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