Customer Reviews

At the Heart of Winter

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Few albums come along in ones life where the music leaves you so speechless. For me, this is one of them. This is not only Immortal's best work in general but one of the greatest Black Metal albums ever to be released. Nothing can top Abbath's brutal riffs and his throat ripping vocals. The atmosphere of Darkthrone is here and the talent of Emperor. However, between all that makes this cd a masterpiece is some true beauty. Such as the main riff in Solarfall and the intro in At the Heart of Winter for a few examples. This is a true masterpiece of winter beauty and winter carnage.

1. Withstand the Fall of Time (8:29) The first track begins with a single riff before the rest joins in, while the riff not really memorable will grow on you. The first minute is spent gearing up before the song gets into full speed. About 3 and a half minutes into the song it slows down before getting a second wind about 4:15 into it and doesn't stop until the song quietly dies out. WOnderful opening track. I could not think of a better song to open up this album. 4.5/5

2. Solarfall (6:02) Immortal's best song of all time. A short drum roll falls in follwoed by one of my favorite riffs of all time then hell is broken loose upon an unsuspecting listener. The song does not let up for one secodn and has some of their best drumming as well. The vocals are enough to make you wish to conquer all you face. The vocals are almost dreadfully slow in a good way, almost like you wonder how he isn't tearing all of his vocal chords. The song slows down2:20 into it with some slow drumming but soo returns with that crushing riff. Best song here. 25/5

3. Tragedies Blows At Horizon (8:55) This song is 8 minutes and 55 seconds of pure magic. It really starts up about 40 seconds into it and grabs you with hardened claws and refuses to let up. I love the way the guitar riff kicks in at 4:30 with nothing but a take no prisoners attitude. A real highlight on the album. 5/5

4. Where Dark and Light Don't Differ (6:45) The first song I heard on this album and it is a winner. The most thrash influenced track on this album has no mellow intro but just decides to come at you full force. The best drumming on the album appears here. The riff that kickss in at 1 minute is majestic and incredible. An epic track. 10/5

5. At the Heart of Winter (8:00) This song honestly makes you feel like you're walking into the front line of a war at the heart of a winter storm. This song runs on talent, emotion and an epic battle cry. The two minute intro can't even prepare you for what is to come. Then the rest of the song kicks in barreling down on you liek an avalanche you know you can't escape. With guitar playing that just screams talent. The rest of the song continues the epic trail the first half of the song left us with. 20/5

6. Years of Silent Sorrow (7:53) Well, instead of ending this masterpiece on a quiet note. abbath and crew decide to go out fighting. With one of the fastest songs on the album begins the drums tear through your ears. The guitar is pretty fast in an almost frantic fashion at certain times. "Dome in the sky black winds to taste
shadowed spirits lead my way...
Drifting everly alone years of silent sorrow
until I'm home... " With those words spoken the final song dies out leaving you only time to pick yourself up and try to comprehend the incredible album you just heard. 5/5

In conclusion, if you haven't stopped reading this yet and purchased this album. I recommend you do so right now. Enjoy.

Immortal's ridiculously fast approach to their special frostbitten brand of black metal gets a slight overhaul on this album. the production becomes a bit more crystalized and the tunes get a bit more melodic. the pace has slowed down a bit with a focus more on a mid paced thrashy kind of groove that suits them well. the same lyrical themes are present as on past records: epic battles atop frozen mountaintops and tributes to the fictional kingdom of Blashyrkh adorn these songs. but which icy warlord approved this particular photo session? oh my. heehee...no matter, a small misstep (albeit a hilarious one) that only adds a whole new level of fun to this album. At The Heart Of Winter may not appeal to the diehard Immortal fans who think that they are no good without the non-stop blur of blast beats; but for those who like a bit of melody with their grim blackened metal should not hesitate inspecting this colossal masterpiece.

many people give 5 stars in a rather nonchalant manner completly nulling the value of the prestigious 5. This cd is the most essential black metal album I've ever come across. I do not sheepishly just "give" the five star rating, I stand by my rating proudly for all to see. THIS IS THE ONE! EPIC! also I do not listen to garbage black metal like most so you can trust my opinion. This album drives a sword through the pu@#y a!@ bellies of all other pu%$y a#@ bands. HAH HAH HAH


p.s. kill nevermore

These guys aren't your typical ooh look at me I'm mister satanist douchebag!! This is highly technical metal with great drums,guitars and even bass.Be forewarned the vocals are throaty growling type but the music is so good they will grow on you.Check out track 1,3,4,&5 particularly, but that being said they're all excellent.
By the way I rarely if ever hand out 5 stars or even write reviews for that matter so heed my advice.
Sincerly,
Josh

This is not my first Immortal release, nor shall it be my last, but when I first heard At the Heart of Winter, I could not believe how majestic and cold the melodies were! They were simply fantastic! The musicianship is absolutely awesome, Horgh is a great drummer and his work is very good on this album, although I don't think it's the greatest drumming I've ever heard on an Immortal cd. Abbath's vocals are cold as usual, they don't really change much, though, the riffs on this album are simply FANTASTIC! The technicality presented here is among the finest guitar work I have ever heard in Black Metal, every riff is cold and beautifully melodic, where some BM riffs are simple and utterly pointless, without naming names. The guitar fills are simply fantastic, Abbath does a great job replacing Demonaz as lead guitarist, who left due to Tendonitis in his arms. I jsut can't stop saying it.... the riffs are so fast, so cold, so melodic, so perfect and so technical..... This cd really inspires me when writing music.
The bass mainly just follows the guitar or drums so there's not much to comment on there.

Every song is simply fantastic, my favourite being Withstand the Fall of Time, only by a hair, the rest are simply amazing anyway. The only moment that this cd dropped off are in Tradgedies Blow at Sunset, which I believed went too long.
Overall, one of the greatest cds I have ever heard, I would recommend this to anyone who like Melodic Death Metal (not saying it is, I'm saying you'd like it!) or Black Metal.

P.S, This is not Death Metal, they are not DM masters as it says in the Product Description! Do not be fooled! :)

This record takes a whole new approach to the art of musical warfare. Demonaz had to leave the band due to severe tendonitis in his arms, this is of course not really surprising if you consider the years of hyper speed riffing culminated in the release of the previous opus 'Blizzard Beasts'. Previous record also saw the addition of Horgh as the drummer. In my opinion he is one of the best Black Metal drummers around. He manages to pull of sharp blasts and with uncanny ease change the tempos without blinking an eye. His drumming seems to be there with a clear purpose and serves to underline the music instead of just 'being there'.
The guitar sound, riffing and structures are quite different on this record. To many Black Metal purists this was a disappointing departure from the traditional sound. The sound is thick and the repetitive riffs are replaced with more complex structures and tempo variations. Old school thrash metal and death metal influences are often audible but of course Immortal would not be themselves if they omitted their trademark light speed Black Metal riffs. This record sees the introduction of synthesizer sound for the first time during sparse atmospheric interludes. Whether the band wanted to ride the popular wave of melodic Black Metal or it was a just an artistic choice I do not know. I do know that it works surprisingly well. This has two reasons, firstly it is sparse enough to not be overwhelming, secondly (this is especially audible on the intro to the title track) it manages to add to the atmosphere and, in my mind at least, it conjured images of 80s fantasy films like Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. It simply adds to the intended storyline to which the band has adhered for so long.

The artwork for the first time abandons the band photo cover art and introduces us to the first, and last, graphical depiction of Immortal's mythical realm. Much has been said about the artwork in the press and it won a prize for best cover art back when it was released. The band more than makes up for the lack of a band photo on the inside of the booklet though ;-).

At the risk of being accused of not being critical, this being my fourth favorable review of Immortal, I have to say that unlike some I am not at all bothered by the band's new direction. They chose to deviate from their early path without sacrificing integrity in the process. This may not be as grim as 'Pure Holocaust' or as much of a rusty knife as 'Battles In The North' it certainly is the most creative and varied record released by the band to date and shows their maturity as recording artists. (I just wish they kept their shirts on). All in all yet another classic record by a classic band.

8.5/10

The early days of Immortal produced turbulent, asocial, murderous savant black metal art that displayed a deeply Romantic worldview with blinding speed and engulfing distortion. Having made four great black metal albums, the band began cycling back into death metal (as they had been in their previous band), and had the presence of mind to consciously change directions. "At the Heart of Winter" is a heavy metal album with black metal vocals, keyboards and similar neoclassical themes, but its main agenda is solid songs with unforgettable melodic hooks, bringing the listener into its rousing and stomping pace for Viking rock with some guts. For one, there's no waffling around with attempts to make songs "diverse" by mixing in other styles, just a solid mix of epic riffs and evocative rhythm. Also, this album carefully avoids any substandard material in composition and production both, creating an experience that is wholly believable from start to finish. If you're seeking underground necroblack metal, this will be a mistake, but for the metal listener looking for the best extreme metal you could still play on the radio, this is the best of that group.

Immortal...top notch Black Metal. Consisting of mainly three members throughout their career, Immortal came forth during the height of their success with -At The Heart Of Winter-. This was the first to grab my attention towards actually listening to Immortal, mainly because of the majestic cover art. While only holding six tracks produced by the godly Peter Tagtgren, the album is more than enough to satisfy our diabolical tastes. One notably difference is the thrash influence, which works wonders with Immortal's formula.

One amazement to me is the virtuosic Abbath Doom Occulta. Since Demonaz suffered a severe hand injury, he was hindered so much that he couldn't remain an member, but wouldn't let his skills go to waste. Instead, he decided to become the bands lyricist, and his works show up on here. This has left Abbath to reach out to all instruments except drums. Really quite the feat when you think about it how much effort it takes. Then again I'm pretty sure there were session musicians.

Anyways, sides having the cover art in your possession, the tracks are truly divine. Notable nods would be given to inner four tracks: "Solarfall", "Tragedies Blow At Horizon", "Where Dark And Light Don't Differ", and "At The Heart Of Winter". The vocals are easy to come by, the riffs are a pleasure to listen to, the solos are thrilling, and while listening to all of that, your mind will drift into the heart of winter.

If this review doesn't say anything important about this CD to you, then look at the 5 star average and all the previous reviews. Almost all of them agree that -At The Heart Of Winter- is everything it strived to become. There is no turning back. The only thing left to do is journey 'till winters end.

This is my second attempt at writing a review for ATHOW. I don't know what happened to the first one. But, I'm sure none of you really care!! HAHA. ATHOW is very close to being the best metal record I own. The guitar work by Abbath is bone-crushing, and the drumming by Horgh is phenominal. But, the real excellence is Peter Tagtgren's production. He brings to life what these musicians are conveying. Superb. Immortal have created an amazing metal "fantasy" with all their records. Brilliant. Immortal is now reforming and will open the Wacken Festival in Germany in 2007. Be there if you can, if not buy this and "Sons of Northern Darkness."

At the Heart of Winter; the shiniest gem of Immortal's impressive icy cold catalogue. Mere words truly cannot describe what will be experienced when the play button is pushed for the first time. Since its release in 1999, this CD has remained one of my all time favorite albums.

There is such a juxtaposition of sound when compared to Blizzard Beasts. (Its predecessor) While Blizzard Beasts was fast and raw with short songs, this song ups the ante with long, technical masterpieces, all ranging up in the 8 minute range. Unlike some CD's where the length of the song drags on and on, these songs never become stale or repetitive. It is amazing that this was put out by only two metal machines. (Or gods as I like to call them) Abbath and Horgh composed and performed a CD that will be nigh impossible to topple from its lofty mantle.

While Abbath handles the Bass, Guitar, and Vocals flawlessly, this CD gives Horgh his first chance to really shine behind the kit. Unlike Blizzard Beasts, which was full of hyper speed blast beats, this album gives him a chance to display his technical genius on more epic songs. From varying cymbal crashes to snare and tom fills, the drums on this album are really something to behold.

I may be a bit of a `mark' for Immortal, but with good reason. My list of metal idols includes Abbath and Horgh, but can you blame me? I will let you judge this CD for yourself, but more often than not, you will agree with my much deserved five star rating.