Customer Reviews

Battles in the North

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This freezing, ice cold album is way beyond what I thought it was! I knew it was not going to disappoint, but it exceeded all expectations. Every song is colder than the last, vokills exploding and the guitars send my spine to frost! The pics are repated throughout the pagelet tho, but they all kick ass anyway. Listening and looking at the album make me think about traveling to Antartica and getting lost in the wilderness of icy death

Come forth demonized
Under the banner of
Blashyrkh we ride....

...and ride they do. The album opens with a mighty blow in the listener's face and never stops pummeling you into submission. The third release by the Doom Occulta brothers, Demonaz and Abbath is probably their most aggressive record to date. Incidentally the title it carries was supposed to be the title of their first release but that was changed before release to a more fitting title, I'm sure you will agree that this record fits the title of 'Battles In The North' better than the first release. The album is not quite as cold and dark as 'Pure Holocaust', it does however, more than make up for this in pure energy and aggression.

The sound is that of a rusty knife, granted it is not quite as rusty as Darkthrone but it is certainly no compromise but a conscious choice on the part of Immortal. Hyperspeed blastbeats underline the incessant and furious riffing and make sure that you know that Battles In The North are no skirmish but a full on frontal assault on anything standing in Blashyrkh's path. The production is slightly murky and the instruments often blend into a chaotic sound but this does not detract from the experience of the album. To many people this is the highlight of Immortal's back catalogue. Not in the least due to the pure aggression and hate seeping from every nook and cranny of the record. And certainly thanks to what is possibly Immortal's greatest single tune i.e. 'Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)'. This particular tune cunningly manages to blend the mid-tempo Immortal sound with wonderfully atmospheric sections and in doing so creates a true anthem for the imaginary world of Blashyrkh.

I have said this about 'Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism' and 'Pure Holocaust' and there is no way to work around this once again: Immortal manages to create an unparalleled atmosphere without reverting to the often cheesy gothic esthetic of later Black Metal acts. While we are on the subject of cheesy I do have to point out that this album is probably the highpoint of the band's shenanigans with weapons, makeup and spikes that we all love to hate. Just look through the artwork and some occasionally cheesy lyrics and what you will get is an earnest band whose sound and dedication is I dare say unmatched in the Black Metal scene up until this day. No thrills, no frills just an all out war in an imaginary realm.

If you are planning on expanding your metal collection I could not honestly recommend whether 'Pure Holocaust' or 'Battles In The North' would be the album to go for (if you were to buy only one). The first is cold and grim the latter is just aggressive and wicked. Being the spineless wimp that I am, I would seriously have to say: Get both!

9/10

P.S. I wonder if the World Wildlife Fund would be interested in contracting them as a new mascot instead of the panda ;-)

wow, a classic, spine-busting assault of scandinavian black metal that will leave no doubt in your mind (if you have any now) why people disrespect dimmu and cradle of filth... relentless, demonic drumming and insane riffing from beginning to end, along with the gravelly semi-growl of old, classic black metal (but bearable, unlike mayhem's atila on dmds...) i looked for this album forever, and i'm not disappointed at all... definitely required listening. pick it up while you can!

however, no props for the album art, heh. :) but it's all about the music.... hail!

The best way for me to describe this album is to say that it is blistering, freezing cold black metal. While listening to this album, you almost envision yourself in a severe, skin-tearing blizzard. The drumming is so fast, that it is difficult to even comprehend...like armageddon. The music is top-notch, and the vocals are grim beyond belief. If you have ever wondered why the "Sons of Northern Darkness" always take their pictures in blizzards, clad only in spiked gauntlets and corpsepaint, this album will fully explain it. Bone-chilling beyond belief, and as violent as any album I have ever heard.

The word "genius" is vastly overused in music, but when I use it to refer to "Battles In The North," I mean it seriously. It would take a work of near genius to create 35 minutes of black metal with every single element of its creation - the vocals, the instruments, the production and so forth - working together to make something so harsh, so cold, so intense that it leaves almost every other extreme metal band out there eating its dust. But that is exactly what two Norwegians with a couple of Ibanez Demonaxes, some corpse painnt and an ego the size of Blashyrkh did. And from that day forward all pretenders would bow before them.

The first element to set Immortal aside from all of the other black metal masses was their aggression. While band like Darkthrone and Burzum were happy to simply play repetitive chords overand over with crappy production to add atmosphere, Immortal injected their music with speed and aggression so fierce that the likes of it has rarely been seen before or since. The guitars on this album are solely present to create Immortal's badass attitude, Demonaz somehow squeezing pure venom out of every note he plays. One thing to particularly listen for is his solo at the end of "Grim And Frostbitten Kigdoms," played with a jaw - dropping malevolence that just screams "grovel before us. We are the elite. We are the kings. We are Immortal." In the meantime, the album's brutality is secured by the double-bass-and-china-cymbal HAILSTORM that is Abbath on drums. "Battles In The North" is infamous for Abbath's performance behind the drum set; I can't see any insurance company ever being willing to cover that kit.

And of course, there are the vocals. Definitely not to everyone's taste, it is true. Abbath's black metal rasp sounds like a bullfrog in its death throes, but somehow, by some feat of musicianship that is completely beyond me, on "Battles In The North" it actually WORKS. Abbath's voice dredges up a kind of black harshness that actually serves to intimidate, rather than amuse. When all of the instruments cut out for his snarl of "BLASHYRKH MIGHTY RAVENDARK!!!" on the final track, its hard not to be a little awestruck.

The final seal set on the brilliance of "Battles In The North" is the brave move they made with the production. The typically sparse production values of black metal has caused 99% of the population to end up loathing the genre, but once again, Immortal has turned it into an asset used to their advantage. The grainy production here gives "Battles..." such a cold, hard and uniquely northern edge that makes bands like Arch Enemy sound coated in velvet.

All in all, a masterwork and one of the greatest metal albums of all time. Seriously, this stands up there with classics like "Master Of Puppets," "Reign In Blood," and "The Number Of The Beast." If you have any love for extreme music at all, order this now, and get busy building a shrine for it.

I have supported these guys since they called themselves OLD FUNERAL(with Varg from BURZUM), and I have to say they have yet to disappoint. With the release BATTLES IN THE NORTH, Immortal proved to live up to their name. This contribution to black metal is fierce, raw, and brutal. Immortal slows down for no one and this CD proves it. If the first song, "Battles in the North," doesn't grab you and throw you to the floor, then you are either hearing impaired or in an eternal slumber. It slashes and cuts and pounds your ear drums and just when you think it is safe the next song starts and you are being brutalized again. Not for the weak or for those who like predictable rhythyms. For fans of DARKTHRONE, RAGNAROK, DARK FUNERAL, and SATYRICON...

After 'Pure Holocaust' received lots of press attention (but didn't sell very well), Immortal put out what amounts to their version of a speed or thrash metal album.

On the whole, it's a better production than 'pure Holocaust' (Immortal's previous release) but it has split their fan base. People either regard it as Immortal's best work, or as the album that consigned them to metal-hell: a place where they would get lots of publicity but never make any money.

This is the last album where Demonaz was able to put forth an all out effort. He suffered an arm injury (acute tendonitis) and had to leave after 1997. Maybe the speed, fury and constant touring did him in. At any rate, this is probably the last 'authentic' IMMORTAL album. The 'Sons Of Northern Darkness' album from 2003, and the interim releases from 2000, 2001, etc., are too different in sound, personnel, and musical approach, to be considered 'true' IMMORTAL albums I think.

One nice thing about 'Battles in the North' is that the songs get better as you get toward the end. Blashyrkh (Mighty RavenDark), stands out because of the excellent guitar riffs near the end. But there is nothing bad or mediocre here for black/death metal fans.

Scandiavians, as most black & death metal bands remind everyone, were not Christian until they were forced to be so: they are pagan. Chrisitanity (and more recently, Islam) are not welcome in Scandinavia. Those religions wer imposed by force, and never really accepted as an authentic part of the heritage of Norsemen, Vikings, or even Celts. The music attacks the religions from the Mediterranean Sea as alien, and oppressive (which they are and were). That is why the music is heavily censored in Christian countries like the U.S.A., and in Christian-turning-Muslim countires likemost of the ones in the E.U.

Sad, because metal is the true rock music. Black and death metal (especially Norwegian black & death metal) have received bad press because of the ill considered acts of a few musicians, and that has served as a vehicle for the press to discredit the genre.

But this is a very worthy addition to a metal collection. Like 'Pure Holocaust' (Immortal), and Dark Tranquility's 'In The Gallery', it's one of the standout metal albums of the 1990's. Check it out.

Best cuts:
Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark);
Cursed Realm Of The Winterdemons ;
Throned By Blackstorms ;
Grim And Frostbitten Kingdoms.

Originally this was not one of my favorite immortal releases, but it's really grown on me. I can understand people complaining about the production, however in my opinion, it's perfect for the genre, and specifically this release.

The drumming is pretty crazy on this one, and the songs are strong. This has turned out to be one of my favorite Immortal releases, and one of the last releases by them with low-end production.

For the title track alone this album should be remembered as one of the iciest and most brutal black metal albums ever made. It is chaos and structure, destruction and creation, protest and affirmation in one; a wall of sound that gives away its secrets gradually and only to those who are prepared to listen through it. What then arises is an epic, highly structured and yet immeasurably bestial composition of blast beats and demonic screeching, that `rides from the North to the North', as the lyrics have it, without ever looking back or compromising to anything other than itself. Which is precisely the aim and essence of true black metal, but hardly ever was that essence captured in such an effective way. A must-have for anyone with a heart for the dark - although it comes in blinding white this time.

This album has to be one of the best metal releases ever.The album's theme is of a frostbitten,violent world,Blashyrkh,where hordes fight until they die.The music on here is inspired as well,as it consists of inhumanly fast blastbeats,demonic croaking vocals,and blazing guitars.The fast drumming gives this album a feel of weightlessness,and the blurry,brutal,yet melodic guitars give Battles in the North a lot of character.At points,this album sounds like it was recorded in the middle of a blizzard.You would think that an album that basically consists of blastbeats,lightning speed riffs,and little else would be exhausting,but the guitars,distant as they are in the mix,are devastating,but they manage to be melodic too,especially on my personal favorite,"Descent Into Eminent Silence".I find it amazing that an album with such similar song structures doesn't get repetitive.All the riffs stand out,and lots of different cymbal rythyms keep things fresh.Abbath is just as good at drums as he is guitar in my opinion."Battles in the North",the title track,starts the precedings off with a bang.Abbath's demonic vocals are especially notable on this track.The final two tracks on here are standouts also,because of the insane amount of melody that can be heard among the relentless brutality.Of course,everyone will have their own specific favorite on here,but this is one of those rare albums where every track is killer.All have highly memorable melodies and excellent guitars,even if they are somewhat obscured in the mix.Though this album is expensive,and only thirty-five minutes long,it is worth the money.It stands as my favorite black metal album,and shouldn't be missed,not only for the music,but for the fact that Immortal outdo all their contemporaries without turning to silly satanism.There is a small comic element to "Battles in the North",as the cover art and liner notes are full of Abbath and Demonaz posing with their facepaint and looking "grim".However,it is easy to look past this image because the music is amazing.This is a classic cd and is
required listening for all metal fans.