Immortal // War Against All // Album Review

Immortal is one of the bands that immediately spring to mind when thinking about Black Metal. Following Abbath leaving the band in 2015 there was only really one person who could return to raise the band back up on their frozen black throne. Having left in 1997 due to health issues and having undergone surgery to overcome these, Demonaz is returned for the previous album Northern Chaos Gods and is now ready to unleash the follow-up to that 2018 release.

When you press play the room chills by a good few degrees as the ice tundra begins to move in blending raw Norwegian Black Metal with melody to create something that all fans of Black Metal crave.

The title track opens the album and immediately sets the tone as almost a call to arms before the pace ramps up for ‘Thunders of Darkness’. This second offering is a circle pit opening monster that will cause your corpse paint to start to run from the sweat.

With the quickened pace, it is still clear that this is Immortal and there is no loss of identity, if anything, it makes it more extreme and that is a glorious thing. There are some intense tracks pace-wise, so for those of us who are ageing a little, fear not. You will be able to get your breath!

There are few bands that can continue to make such blistering yet chilling music, but Immortal seems to be able to continue to do it and this album is a testament to the fact that top drawer Black Metal stands the test of time.

As things steady to walking pace on ‘Wargod’ and you sway with the riff, there is still that unmistakable edge that you know has been created by a special band.

The album spans around 38 minutes which is spread across 8 tracks and every offering hits the mark that any fan of Immortal would want. The chilling vocals, the precise guitars and the pummelling drums all create that incredible sound we have grown to recognise and we can’t get enough of.

War Against All is a great addition to any Black Metal collection and continues the legacy of Immortal in fine fashion. This is certainly not a band that is prepared to compromise and that really shows, as they have created a beast here.

War Against All will be released Friday 26^th May 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Ed Ford