Customer Reviews

Damned in Black

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
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`Damned in Black', Immortal's 6th studio album and follow-up to 1999's monumental `At the Heart of Winter', is a stellar release full of some of the most memorable riffs and tightest playing imaginable.

`At the Heart of Winter' saw Immortal moving in a different direction from their previous efforts. With Demonaz leaving the band as guitarist due to injury, we saw Abbath taking over and leading Immortal to a slicker, more mid-tempo sound. `Damned in Black' follows in `At the Heart of Winter's footsteps although it has been described as its angry older brother. I agree completely. It is faster, more aggressive, yet it still has very much the same feel.

Abbath's vocals are slightly different on this release, a little rougher, slightly less troll-like than on previous releases. I liked how they sounded on `At the Heart of Winter', but they are even better here. Let's just say that Popeye is in the house!

The guitar on this album has a nice, thick thrashy sound. It is a lot warmer than the razor-wire insanity that was their sound on older releases. Here it has more definition and makes the outstanding riffs stand out even more. Revel in the pompous majestic opening riff of the title track `Damned in Black'. Check out the first four riffs from `Against the Tide (In the Arctic World)', they are all absolutely brilliant! But the best riffs of the album, coupled with a headbang-worthy tempo change, are the first two of `Wrath From Above'. This is why metal is king!

The drum work also stands out very much on this release. Horgue gets a chance to show his stuff with many complex rhythms and loads blast beats. I'm not saying that this is a fast album, a lot of it is mid-paced (by black metal standards, anyway) but there are definitely some chaotic `Blizzard Beasts'-style sub-zero riffs present on this album.

As for keyboards, they are virtually nonexistent. They are so low in the mix that you can barely hear them. Not that this is a bad thing, they poke through when important and they still contribute to the overall feel of the album.

Overall this is an excellent release from Immortal. Don't be put off by the short running time of this album. Every track kills. Quality over quantity here. Would you have passed on `Reign in Blood' because it's only 30 minutes long? I don't think so. If you did go buy it immediately! `Damned in Black' came out very soon after `At the Heart of Winter' was released and it could have been just a more-of-the-same album But Immortal has taken their new sound and frozen it with elements their old, resulting in seven very strong tracks of black metal mayhem.

After having listened to Immortal's previous album's, DIBis without a doubt their most aggressive and fastest album since Battles in The North. You'll notice a thrashy sound in their music which I enjoy immensely. The album immediatelyblasts off with the track "Truimpth" and the speed and brutality never cease. Their drummer "Horgh" in my opinion is one of the top 3 drummers in Black metal music(Hellhammer,Fredrick Anderson). But in a way, DIB is across between BITN and At the Heart of winter. Immortal still plays Black Metal the way it's meant to be played, they haven'tgone soft, gone in a different direction like Emperor and Mayhemhave. If you haven't picked up DIB yet, do it now.

With Immortal's latest release, the black metal trio promptly dismisses concept of "filler", and saves only what's necessary for this 7-track LP. This offering from Abbath and the gang doesn't really contain a dull moment, and is solid from start to finish. You could almost consider this a "model album", one for all others to live up to. While a lot of black metal is much more convoluted, mixed with atmospheric elements such as keyboards, and also severely choreographed, Immortal choose not to take that path, and stick to playing basic, straight-up, guitar-bass-drums, black/thrash metal. And it sounds brilliant. What Immortal lacks in atmosphere, they make up for with sheer force and stunning riffage. Definately one of, if not THE best Immortal release thus far. Black metal fans dare not pass this one up.

Unlike the last couple of albums, Immortal's "Damned In Black" does not feature either icy tunes or snowbound cover art. The presence of fire on the album's cover evokes the spirit of Immortal's debut "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism;" however, the music is, to my mind, more in league with Carcass's "Descanting The Insalubrious" album. I find that I reach for the cassette in my car time and again. It's a rocker! Not grimly black, more a heavy metal album with blackened and deathly elements. Highly entertaining live band!

With this album Immortal tips their hat to their former "wall of sound" approach to creating music. It would be nigh impossible to find any holes in the constant blast of sound that emanates when this album is played. It seems that with every Immortal release, we are treated to a different spin on the traditional "black metal" approach. This CD is indeed black metal, but a tr00 or kvlt BM fan would rather die than be caught with a CD like this. Screw them, they are to focused on purchasing the same sounding album over and over again to impress their "inner circle" friends. Damn in Black mixes thrash with black metal to form a very unique and punishing record.

A learned listener would be able to pick up on the nuances from past albums that have been worked into this one. The opening song Triumph seems to be a hybrid of Battles in the North and Blizzard Beasts. (Drools) The tracks are overall less technical than At the Heart of Winter, but make up for it with a constant driving beat from hell. (Provided by our hefty friend Horgh)

I highly recommend getting this CD if you are a fan of Immortals (duh!) or enjoy the heavier aspects of metal at all. It is definitely worth your money despite the fact that the CD clocks in at 36:40. That's almost 37 minutes of pure metal madness at its finest!

Standout Tracks: Darkness That Embrace Me, Damned In Black

*I highly agree with Chris Andersons review of this CD as well*

"Our black eyes sparkle, celebrating death"

this album reminds me of carcass' "descanting the insalubrious" in that it is a mix of technical thrash and maidenish breakdowns. the difference is that immortal inject a blackened edge to their music which gives it more aggression and venom than carcass could muster. by and large, this is a heavy metal album which might be criticized for 'selling out' or 'watering down' the lightening winterish blast of immortal's signature sound, but it's their only album i have enjoyed unleashing from my car stereo. in short, it's catchy and it's the first 'modern' (black) metal album i've embraced. i certainly rate it higher than dark throne's 'ravishing grimness,' which was my big hopeful of late. i very much enjoyed seeing immortal live at phantasmagoria in maryland just before the album was released.

"Damned in Black" falls in between two of Immortal's best albums "At the Heart of Winter" and "Sons of Northern Darkness." Though often overshadowed by the rest of Immortal's catalogue, "Damned in Black" is an excellent display of Immortal's signature thrashy black metal. Blast beats and riffs aplenty, Immortal definately delivers on "Damned in Black." If you are an Immortal fan already you will not be disappointed by this album. Those new to Immortal should try "Sons of Northern Darkness" first.

Favorite track: Damned in Black

With this album Immortal tips their hat to their former "wall of sound" approach to creating music. It would be nigh impossible to find any holes in the constant blast of sound that emanates when this album is played. It seems that with every Immortal release, we are treated to a different spin on the traditional "black metal" approach. This CD is indeed black metal, but a tr00 or kvlt BM fan would rather die than be caught with the CD like this. Damn in Black mixes thrash with black metal to form a very unique and punishing record.

A learned listener would be able to pick up on the nuances from past albums that have been worked into this one. The opening song Triumph seems to be a hybrid of Battles in the North and Blizzard Beasts. The tracks are overall less technical than At the Heart of Winter, but make up for it with a constant driving beat from hell. (Provided by our hefty friend Horgh)

I highly recommend getting this CD if you are a fan of Immortals (duh!) or enjoy the heavier aspects of metal at all. It is definitely worth your money, although the CD does clock in at 36:40.

Standout Tracks: Darkness That Embrace Me, Damned In Black

The technical demons that are Immortal are back. This album is much faster and traditional than "At the Heart of Winter". I am very happy with this album (even though I like "At the Heart..." very much. If you like brutal, technical metal, you must pick up this album.

This is a great album. It's Black metal but different than bands like Cradle of Filth, for example, because Immortal doesn't use those ambient sounds, keybords, all that stuff. They just play straight heavy, well played metal. In this Album you get great riffs, drums, vocals (they seem weird at first, but they mix well with the music). If you like plain heavy music and don't need those atmospherical sounds, you'll like it certainly.