A five-track live document recorded in Stuttgart, Germany, in April 2001 and released to coincide with Dimmu Borgir's winter 2002 U.S.

headlining tour, Alive in Torment showcases the band's more aggressive side as well as the tightness of its latter-day "supergroup" lineup (featuring, besides band founders Shagrath [vocals] and Silenoz [guitar], former Cradle of Filth drummer Nick Barker, ex-Borknagar bassist/vocalist Simen "Vortex" Hestnaes, and Old Man's Child guitarist Galder).

However entertaining and immediate Alive in Torment may be on initial listens -- there's very little of the flighty, keyboard-heavy melodicism that, on some of the band's studio efforts, drew the disdain of crusty black metal purists -- the EP eventually plays as five songs randomly sewn together, and lacks the cohesiveness of a full, warts-and-all live set.

Ultimately, the songs don't stray far from their studio-recorded counterparts, marking this limited-edition CD as a purchase for die-hard collectors only.