Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Rob Darken's best, December 6, 2003
One sentence review: If you enjoy Viking era Bathory and especially `Hammerheart' and `Twilight Of The Gods' you MUST get this record!Ok, now for those unfortunate souls who are not familiar with the aforementioned records by Quorthon; `Immortal Pride' is an epic folk/pagan record which despite only containing four tracks still clocks in at around 50 minutes. This may lead the sceptics to be worried of the record getting boring at times. They could not be farther from the truth. Every note, every riff and every synth part play their own important part in making this a truly epic record. Rob Darken can easily be considered as one of the forefathers of the folk/pagan metal genres. Over the years he managed to hone his craft to allow him to release anguished soundscapes mourning his fallen Slavic forefathers in the countless battles they fought. Yes, Darken builds strongly on his Slavic and specifically Polish heritage and glorifies what he calls `White Warriors'. Whether or not you support his political stance, which undeniably gathers him many enemies, you cannot deny the fact that he manages to recreate the medieval atmosphere of the land of his forefathers through his music. That atmosphere and earnest admiration for his predecessors is what endears his music to many including myself. It is as if Sventevith himself is speaking through Darken and I cannot help but visualize images of the 19th century novel `Stara Basn' (Ancient Tale) by Jozef Igancy Kraszewski or the historically more recent exploits of Sienkiewicz's `Trilogy'. Darken takes care of all the instruments other than the drums on this record. The skins are manned by Capricornus who in my view has significantly improved his skills over the years. I have not really owned a lot of original material by Graveland prior to hearing this record but did of course check out a lot of his stuff through the internet. None of it gripped me as strong as did this record. To sum it up: hate, atmosphere, historic relevance, integrity, heritage are keywords that sum up this record musically and ideologically. Even though Graveland will probably never achieve the popularity of one Quorthon and Bathory, this record beats the Swede at what he does best. As history has taught us the Poles have beaten Swedish attacks on more than one occasion and they succeed here as well. ;-) No Graveland record would be complete without a personal message from Darken: "Christian butchers that today are adored as saints murdered my ancestors that full of immortal pride did not want to accept strange faith" 10/10
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Moment of Triumph, October 9, 2003
In the constant world of Black Metal, there are artists popping up everywhere it seems. Be it the likes of Judas Iscariot or Dimmu Borgir, they are always popping up. Naturally, this makes it quite hard for an artist to "survive" in the world (especially the highly critical Black Metal scene). Even more challenging is to create something unique and equally powerful. Well, to say the least, Rob Darken has achieved this with Immortal Pride. Epic and relaxing, Immortal Pride stands alone with its quality and power.When I listen to this record, my heart fills up with pride and comfort. Unlike much Black Metal, Immortal Pride is a very relaxed listen. I find it to soothe my sorrows and mend any troubles I'm having. It really possess a quality not often experienced with Black Metal or Metal in general. As for the songs themselves, there are two instrumental tracks (an intro and an outro) as well as the two "core" songs: Sons Of Fire And Steel and Sacrifice For Honour. Sons Of Fire And Steel lasts about 24 minutes taking you to pure peace of the mind and body. The production of the album is very "soft" and soothing, taking off the rough edge. As usual, keyboards are used with sheer brilliance; they are not overbearing but they are also heard clearly. Guitars are blended into the calming breeze of music as well as the drums. Vocals are not as frequent or loud due to the production and song-length. Along with the usual Black Metal rasps, there are also clean choir-like vocals that make the music as majestic and beautiful as ever. They are used wonderfully. To sum it up, all instruments are used in the right place at the right time. There is nothing to complain about. If you are in quest for something unique, beautiful and powerful I suggest Immortal Pride. It is an album that is both Black Metal yet it is miles away from your typical Black Metal album. Being both innovative and imaginative, this is an album for all who wish to experience some of Metal's best moments.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Pagan Atmosphere!!, April 1, 2001
By A Customer
I own three of the Graveland albums (Carpathian Wolves, Thousand Swords, Following the Voice of Blood) and recently recieved this one in the mail. I knew it wouldn't be the onslaught of fury like on Carpathian Wolves, or the Call to War like Thousand Swords or Following..., but something else. This time, Graveland opts for classical-influenced epic (and I DO mean EPIC, the two non-instrumentals are 22+ mins and 16+ mins) pagan heritage BLACK metal. The guitars are different than on the previous albums, and there is more of a keyboard presence. On whole, the album is very relaxing, but stirs the pagan spirit inside you at the same time. Just listen to the samples and you will know what I mean. A worthy purchase for any Graveland fan or anyone who likes black metal.
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