Dimmu Borgir Debuts New Guitarist Damage at Tons of Rock

Runar June 28, 2025 1 min read

Last year, Dimmu Borgir parted ways with longtime guitarist Galder, sparking widespread speculation about who would take over guitar duties. Yesterday, at their first concert since the split—held at Tons of Rock in Oslo—the band officially introduced Kjell Åge “Damage” Karlsen as their new live guitarist.

The performance marked the beginning of The Chosen Legacy Tour 2025, with Dimmu Borgir set to play only nine shows this summer.

For many fans, Damage is a familiar face. He also plays in Chrome Division alongside Dimmu frontman Shagrath. In addition, he’s a member of The Cult of Destiny, and has previously performed with Gromth and Breed. He also runs his own solo project, World of Damage.

From Dimmu Borgir’s official Facebook page:

“We’re excited to proudly welcome Damage to the team, and we’re all looking forward to sharing the stage with him this summer and onwards. It’s already been a pleasure working and rehearsing with Damage over the last couple of months and we hope that you, the fans, will join us in welcoming him to the line-up!”