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Bridging the gap between Norway's black metal and American speedmetal,
Immortal played fast and raw, thanks to the lightning guitar work of Demonaz
and to the thundering drumming of Horgh.
Led by guitarist and vocalist Abbath, Immortal improved from the tentative
steps of
Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (Osmose, 1992), which contains
The Call Of The Wintermoon ,
Unholy Forces Of Evil ,
Cryptic Winterstorms ,
Cold Winds Of Feneral Dust ,
Blacker Than Darkness ,
and A Perfect Vision Of The Rising Northland ,
to the more gripping violence of
Pure Holocaust (Osmose, 1993), with
Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss ,
A Sign For The Norse Hordes To Ride ,
The Sun No Longer Rises ,
Frozen By Icewinds ,
Storming Through Red Clouds And Holocaustwinds ,
Eternal Years On The Path To The Cemetary Gates ,
As The Eternity Opens ,
and Pure Holocaust .
This progression culminated with their
masterpiece, Battles In The North (Osmose, 1994), an epic eruption
of evil vibrations at breakneck speed
(Battles In The North ,
At The Stormy Gates Of Mist ,
Through The Halls Of Eternity ,
Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow ,
Cursed Realms Of The Winterdemons ,
Throned By Blackstorms ,
Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms ,
Descent Into Eminent Silence ,
Circling Above In Time Before Time ,
Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) ).
After the disappointing Blizzard Beasts (Osmose, 1997), with
Intro ,
Blizzard Beasts ,
Nebular Ravens Winter ,
Suns That Sank Below ,
Battlefields ,
Mountains Of Might ,
Noctambulant ,
Winter Of The Ages ,
Frostdemonstorm ,
Demonaz left the band.
Thanks to the input of producer and virtual member Peter Tagtgren,
At The Heart Of Winter (Osmose, 1998) marked a change in direction,
with a heavier sound, slower tempos, stronger melodies and slicker production.
While infinitely more commercial than previous outings, this ranks as one of
their most focused works.
Damned In Black (Osmose, 2000), on the other hand, was another disappointment.
Sons Of Northern Darkness (Nuclear Blast, 2002) returned the band
to the primitive sound of their early days.
After a long hiatus Immortal delivered the predictable
All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast, 2009).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Gabriele Cantoni)
Colmando il divario tra il black metal
norvegese e lo speed metal americano, gli Immortal hanno suonato veloce e in
modo crudo, grazie alla chitarra fulminea di Demonaz e alla batteria tonante di
Horgh. Guidati dal chitarrista e cantante Abbath, gli Immortal sono migliorati
rispetto ai primi passi tentati in Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism
(Osmose, 1992), album contenente The Call Of The Wintermoon , Unholy Forces
Of Evil , Cryptic Winterstorms , Cold Winds Of Feneral Dust , Blacker Than
Darkness , e A Perfect Vision Of The Rising Northland, e il loro suono ha
raggiunto un livello di maggiore violenza in Pure Holocaust (Osmose,
1993), con canzoni quali Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss , A Sign For The
Norse Hordes To Ride , The Sun No Longer Rises , Frozen By Icewinds , Storming
Through Red Clouds And Holocaustwinds , Eternal Years On The Path To The
Cemetary Gates , As The Eternity Opens , e Pure Holocaust.
Questa progressione è culminata con il
capolavoro Battles in the North (Osmose, 1994), un’epica eruzione
vulcanica di vibrazioni malvage suonate a velocità vertiginose (Battles In
The North , At The Stormy Gates Of Mist , Through The Halls Of Eternity ,
Moonrise Fields Of Sorrow , Cursed Realms Of The Winterdemons , Throned By
Blackstorms , Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms , Descent Into Eminent Silence ,
Circling Above In Time Before Time , Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark))
Dopo il deludente Blizzard Beasts
(Osmose, 1997) con Intro, Blizzard Beasts, Nebular Ravens Winter, Suns That
Sank Below, Battlefields, Mountains Of Might, Noctambulant, Winter Of The Ages,
Frostdemonstorm, il chitarrista Demonaz ha lasciato la band.
Grazie al contributo del produttore e
membro virtuale Peter Tagtgren, At the Heart Of Winter (Osmose, 1998) ha
segnato un cambio di direzione, con suoni più pesanti suonati ad un ritmo più
lento, melodie più incisive e una produzione meno ruvida. Nonostante dia
infinitamente più commerciale rispetto ai predecessori, l’album rappresenta uno
dei loro lavori più riusciti.
Damned in Black (Osmose, 2000) d’altro canto,
è stato una delusione. Sons Of Northern Darkness (Nuclear Blast, 2002)
ha segnato un ritorno al passato per quanto riguarda le sonorità.
Dopo una lunga pausa, gli Immortal
hanno prodotto il prevedibile All Shall Fall (Nuclear Blast, 2009).
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