Customer Reviews

Sons of Northern Darkness

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a huge fan of a wide range of metal styles, but never liked anything referred to as "black metal". I happened to read an article on Immortal, thought they looked a little silly with the makeup, but decided to check out a few sound clips to see what the big deal was. I ended up buying the CD and was surprised at how much I love it! No keyboards and a great mix of fast and slow tempos give these songs just the right kick that should satisfy any death metal fan (not limited to "black metal" fans!). Abbath's growl and unbelievably fast and tight guitar playing make this CD a must-have for anyone who loves real metal (The drumming is amazing as well - I gotta see this guy!). I have since bought 3 other Immortal CD's and look forward to seeing them live here in North America. This will probably go down as my surprise favorite of 2002!

With their seventh album proving to be their last, Immortal definitely went out on top. 2002's "Sons Of Northern Darkness" is probably the finest dark metal release this side of the year 2000. Like Venom's "Black Metal," Bathory's self-titled release, and Mayhem's "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas," this is a classic black metal album, and it should be considered one of the genre's milestones.

There are a few melodic, ambient moments sprinkled on here and there ("Antarctica" begins with chilling wind whooshes, and "Beyond The North Waves" is a peaceful and ornate album closer, featuring aquatic sounds and a fairly majestic string arrangement.) But most of this album is very brutal, and jam-packed with the stuff that you look for in great black metal: scorching guitars, lightning fast double kick drums, and raspy vocals. The thunderous power chords and blinding drums on the first track, "One By One," is one prime example of how brutal the album can be. And the title track (featuring a bouncy drum beat, searing riffs, and even a careening solo), the onslaught of surging, machine gun guitars and all-out, crazy drumming on "Demonium," and "In My Kingdom Cold," which is composed of thick, churning riffs and a constantly pounding rhythm, are a few of the album's other biggest highpoints.

Even though Immortal have been split up for some time now, their greatness and influentialness will always live on through today's dark metal bands (like Dimmu Borgir). But even if it weren't a standard-bearing, landmark release, "Sons Of Northern Darkness" is an excellent album all the same. There isn't much else to say except that no self-respecting black metal fan can be without this C.D.

I had a chance to see them in Chicago with Halford and I failed to go...Little did I know that it would be my last chance to see one of my most highly revered bands! Curse me to hell!!!

Anyway...The CD...Yes, an awesome sounding finale to their repertoire of music. As already stated, the guitars really stand out and sound very good. Excellent production all around. This is my favorite Immortal album, although they are ALL worth having in your collection. Is it black metal? Who cares??? We get so damn tied up into labels and categories that it becomes a detriment...Just listen and decide: Do I like it? If so, then let it be! It truly is a very heavy CD and if you like Immortal, you should love this one!

So sad they are gone. Nothing in this world ever lasts...Abbath shares some vocals on the new Dimmu Borgir (Death Cult Armageddon - get it) CD though.

With "Sons of Northern Darkness," Immortal have created a truly eclectic and forward-looking slab of metal. While they maintain the dark atmosphere and grim vocals that characterize black metal, Immortal also show some influences of power metal and thrash. With its precise musicianship and touches of melodic accessibility, "Sons of Northern Darkness" even displays some elements of the classic metal of pioneers like Iron Maiden.

If there's one aspect of this album that stands out immediately, it's the guitars. Aided by an exceptionally clean production that pushes it to the forefront, the guitar work on this album expertly balances precision, heaviness, and melody. In contrast to the vast majority of black metal albums, "Sons of Northern Darkness" is full of riffs that are heavy, memorable, and even (gasp!) catchy. If the explosive opening riff to the title track doesn't light a fire under your posterior, chances are nothing will. Now, one could argue that with all this clean production and guitar work, this isn't a black metal album at all. However, although I'm not an old Immortal fan (this is my second album of theirs, after "Battles in the North"), I think most black metallers could find a lot to like here.

But I digress. Along with the guitars, what I think really elevates this album above the heap is the songwriting; each track is fully realized and stands out on its own. The title track and "Demonium" take off at about mach 3, with fearsome drumming and vocals. The crushing "Tyrants," which never fails to get my head banging, uses a slower tempo to really drive the heavy riffing home. The eight-minute epic "Beyond the North Waves," with its lengthy and majestic instrumental conclusion, was a perfect choice for the album closer. And although I've singled out these songs, all are no worse than solid.

Although, as I've already said, this album can't really be called black metal, Immortal have done an excellent job of updating the traditional black metal sound without deviating too far from its roots. By incorporating new elements, they've simply created an album that I think fans of any type of metal can enjoy. If this is a sign of the direction that black metal will take in coming years, I'll be pretty pleased.

Less overtly death metal influenced than the previous album Damned In Black, Sons Of Northern Darkness walks a fine line between death metal and more melodic black metal. Perhaps its the best described by what Immortal themselves called their music: holocaust metal. The songs range from blast beat freak outs to slower Celtic Frost/Viking metal like pummelling such as the fantastic album closer "Beyond The North Waves" There is a lot of variety here within each song, lots of change ups in the music, LOTS of power, melody and even groove. I think writing wise this may be Immortals finest album, at least since Pure Holocaust. Much of this album is violence inducing and sublime. Where the hell's my longboat? Thematically SOND is pretty much what we've come to expect from Immortal, songs about Blashyrk (or however you spell it), war, triumph and cold wastelands. With song titles like "Antartica", "In My Kingdom Cold", or "Tyrants" you pretty much know what Immortal are about lyrically. Holocaust metal indeed.

The album sounds hugely powerful, seductively so. The guitars are huge, there's just the right amount of bottom end to the mix, the drums are defined and powerful and the vocals sit perfectly within the framework of the music. Necro sounding this isn't, its monstrous. They've never sounded better.

Horgh is an fantastic drummer and this is his best work. Abbath's vocals and guitar playing are completely fantastic. I think he's got the best voice in black metal. Iscariah sounds great, his bass provides a distorted powerful bottom end. Sons of Northern Darkness is Immortals most satisfying album since Pure Holocaust and is a great final work for a fantastic band. They went out on top of their game.

First off, let me say that even though I am familiar with Immortal's earlier works, this is the first of their offerings that I've come across with grab my attention the most. So I guess you could say that this review isn't written by someone who's traced the band's steps up until this point. If you don't know who Immortal are, that's OK because this is great album from start to finish. If you like any type of metal, not just Norweigen black metal, you'll most likely love "Sons of Northern Darkness".
Another thing: Unlike a lot of black metal, this CD has great production behind it, everything is perfect sounding. If you're like me, and you get annoyed by [bad] production, this will make you happy.
You can tell that Immortal have a great sense of songwriting and making things stay interesting instead of blastbeating and shredding for 60 minutes straight. Besides, if you're reading this review, I'm assuming that you've heard full-on death grinding and are looking for something more exciting. There are no keyboards (maybe a little, but not very noticable) and there honestly doesn't need to be. Each song strikes a perfect balance between brutality and melody. This, along with the very epic and triumphant (and at some times, very nationalistic) lyrical content which is sung fierce and cold make for an interesting combination.
The guitar work on "Sons of Northern Darkness" stands out for me. Sometimes the riffs are pretty techincal at times, but this is broken up and then rearranged. For example, the breakdown part in "One by One" is much deserved, and it gives the song a three dimensional perspective. In all of the songs actually, this sort of thing happens and it great because you never fully commit to one hook of the song, but somehow it all works out.

I recommend this if you are into any type of metal, because if you are turned off by things like theatrical parts, horns, harps, and keyboards, and poor musicianship that work against most black metal bands... look no further. Immortal give you a straight Viking blow to the head, and save the cheesy stuff for other bands to take care of.

I'm glad this CD isn't littered with [bad] Satanic lyrics and pentagrams and [stuff] like that. That stuff gets old pretty quick..

Highlights for me are "One by One", "Tyrants", "Antartica" and "Beyond the North Waves"

I am not a satanist. Nor am I a heathen or atheist or nihilist or anything else associated with the 'black metal lifestyle.' But I love Immortal's Sons of Northern Darkness album. It features surprisingly good production for a subgenre of metal that, for some reason I still cannot figure out, forces upon itself sloppy and scratchy production so it can sound 'evil' (or, if you're living in the real world where face paint and fake medieval weapons don't scare you, 'just plain dumb'). Immortal still does the whole 'corpse paint' (aka clown paint) thing, but for some reason, with these guys, I don't laugh quite as hard because they're really good musicians. Abbath's guitars are some of the best I've heard in the genre, and as said before, Horgh is an extremely capable drummer. Sure, he's not on Hellhammer's level, but close.

Immortal didn't fill this CD with a bunch of mindless satanic garbage; it's 'evil'-sounding enough without it. So if you're not a goat-worshipping buffoon, then this is a black metal CD that will probably appeal to you. Get it now because it rocks.

Well this cd is my one of my favorites of this band with "Battles In The North". A different Immortal born since Demonaz had to leave the band and Abbath took the guitar, that change slower their sound like a 100% they also change their logo.

This new Immortal somehow create amazing music totally different to their also so good past albums with Demonaz. All the tracks are perfect and I enjoy this CD from the first song to the last one. If you like this sound get "Dammed in black" that is similar, or "At the heart of winter". If you want something more brutal and faster then get their old stuff with Demonaz in guitars.

This music is simply put CRUSHING. The guitar could cut through steel. The drumming could pummel you into submission. Horgh, the drummer just does'nt seem to get the recognition he deserves. He really is a master percussionist. All that said, and you've got melody as well. These guys are excellent songwriters. They are funny to look at with their corpsepaint and such, but, remember when you listen to the music you don't have to look at them. HAHA. I think one of the best Black Metal records of all time. Once again, Peter Tagtren does a superb job with production. All songs are great, but, Beyond the North Waves is my favorite. That song and Enslaved's 793 Battle of Lindisfarne are IMO, 2 of the absolute best Black Metal epics ever written. If you like Metal like this, don't be an idiot, get it now.

With the advent of Immortal's 7th album, we are faced with the bands inevitable dissolution. No band stays together forever, and Abbath (the heart and soul of Immortal since the late 80's) felt that it was time to say goodbye to Immortal. What I respect is that he made this decision right when their sales were starting to go places. They signed to Nuclear Blast, a well known extreme metal label, and were on their way to finally being paid off for their years of hard work. The honest members of Immortal, however, felt that they had accomplished all they wanted to musically as a group, and respectfully said goodbye to their legions of winter-loving fans. A dark day indeed in a genre where grey is the lightest colour you're bound to see.

This CD however, is quality Immortal music from start to finish. Never being a band to stagnate, they have yet again slightly tweaked their signature sound on this album, adding slower dirge-like movements and thrashy solos. Even people who are not fans of Black Metal in general can appreciate this album and the quality it presents. This of course is a double-edged sword, as many fickle BM fans hate to see their music become "accessible" to the outside masses. I, being a fan of Immortal's older work, still appreciate and enjoy this album for what it is; Immortal's epic swansong from the genre they helped define and cultivate.

As the last Immortal review I have to write, I think I will break down each song and discuss them individually. I will refrain from awarding a score to each song however. I apologize if this review becomes lengthy:

1. One by One - We are immediately treated to a thrashy sounding opener, with quick short riffs. The drum rhythms adjust flawlessly from the slower beats to the fast double kicks, and the vocals are in classic Abbath forum. "One by One, by the Northern Tribes you fall"

2. Sons of Northern Darkness - The eponymous song is definitely one not to pass up. A quick drum interlude is followed by more thrash-like guitars, which finally lead into a massive battle cry by Abbath. The song chugs along at many different speeds and tempos, giving it multiple dimensions musically. This song also features a guitar solo, which is usually few and far between in the world of BM. "Fly throughout the sky... set fire to the land. Fly throughout the sky... Sons of Northern Darkness"

3. Tyrants - This song definitely grew on me the most, to the point where it is one of my favorites from the album. The quick, sharp picking featured on this song is absolutely amazing for head banging, and I always want to get up and mosh when this song plays. This song more than any other on the album features the new slower style Immortal works with on this album (compare this song to any from Battles in the North or Blizzard Beasts and you'll know what I mean) "Armored horses... Gloves of steel... Silver blades... Time to reveal"

4. Demonium - This song is a throwback to the wall of sound employed on albums such as Damned in Black. It reminds me of Triumph in many ways. It is loud, fast, and punishing. Around 1:50 there is an excellent transition to heavy double kick drums that are totally crushing. In the spirit of old Immortal songs, this one is shorter, coming in at a low 3:57. "Death rides on demonwings. Black spirits haunt from here. The frozen squad descends... Demonium, demons until the end"

5. Within the Dark Mind - One of the less unique songs on the track, it still stands alone as a solid addition. Like much of the CD it's much slower than previous album efforts, which can be a very nice addition after being blastbeated for hours.

6. In My Kingdom Cold - Another one of the songs off the album that I liked right away. The lyrics are fairly straightforward and unchanging, but who care, this song just has so much atmosphere. Horgh puts on a drumming clinic in this song, and it is a pleasure within itself to just listen to the drums and try to follow along on the kit in my mind. Just listen to the speed and intricacy of the drums throughout the song. Amazing. Abbath's vocals are dead on perfect for this song, with low driving growls when the song slows down. "Black my mind, black my heart. In my Kingdom, I enter my own world"

7. Antarctica - This song features the most synth used on any of the songs, and adds to the cold, wintery feel of the song. It opens with swirling winds and quiet, cold, synth, and leads into some solid guitar riffs and drumwork. Isn't Antarctica about as far away from Norway as you can get?

8. Beyond the North Waves - This is a little more Norwegian than Antarctica, haha. This song is probably the most epic on the track, weighing in at 8:06. It has many different movements that fit together to form one great song. The churning water at the beginning and end are really fitting and provide great imagery. "With sword in hand, I now stand, on my enemies land. And with Northern Heart, I will fight, until the day I die!"


All in all an excellent close to an excellent band. It's really interesting to follow Immortals progression and evolution throughout the years, showing just how imaginative Abbath and Demonaz were throughout the years. Never did one album sound like another. Now that's a feat within itself in the Black Metal community.