IMMORTAL - NORTHERN CHAOS GODS (2018)

On a bi-colored black and white vinyl released on Nuclear Blast and limited to 500 copies. Holy Blashyrkh this was great!

Remember when I read on Blabbermouth that Abbath wasn't part of Immortal anymore. Another thing I also remember reading was that Immortal would still continue on with Demonaz the original and former guitarist (1991-97) on vocals. But not only that he would return playing guitar once again. Guess that everyone knows about his health issues kept him from playing with the band. He was still a key figure in Immortal after that and continued writing the lyrics.

Must admit that I was highly skeptical to this Immortal but still being very curious how they would sound like without Abbath. He was a certainly a very charismatic frontman, some might not like his antics on and off stage, but his vocals were a huge part of the Immortal sound for me.

My expectations was either it’s either amazing or utter shit. Didn’t think that I would buy the album but if I did I wanted to hear the entire Northern Chaos Gods album before buying it. I try to keep a high standard in my collection and this would have been a wildcard. Then they released the title track Northern Chaos Gods about 2 months ago on streaming services also on a 7" vinyl. It blew me away how great it sounded and immediately pre-ordered the LP because I wanted to hear the rest of this album.

They released the song Mighty Ravendark just a few days before the release day of the album. Even if I wanted to wait for the LP to arrive I held out for approx 5 hours before listening to it... Amazing song sure it’s very reminiscent of previous Immortal songs but probably my favorite on the entire album.

The new Northern Chaos Gods record sounds like an Immortal album. If you wanted it to sound like a follow up to Blizzard Beasts (1997) the last time Demonaz played guitar on a Immortal album you’re however going to be disappointed.

Sure all the old Immortal lyrical references are there throughout the entire album there's Blashyrkh, Grim, Ice, Might, Battles, Raven realms, Mountains etc. Which is of course what probably most fans want anyway and also me. But there’s a very thin line between it being too much, however they managed to pull it off without it sounding like a parody of themselves.

Great production in The Abyss Studio with longtime producer Peter Tägtgren who they worked with since At The Heart Of Winter (1999). He also play bass on the album and yes I'm aware that All Shall Fall (2009) was partly recorded at Grieghallen. The vocals by Demonaz are also great and the guitar is excellent at most times but not perfected and I would have liked some more great guitar solos. Horgh does a stellar performance as always.

8 songs in 42 min is a perfect formula and format for Immortal. A perfect number of songs and length in my opinion. The Northern Chaos Gods album is great throughout but with a few personal highlight songs like: Mighty Ravendark; Where Mountains Rise; Called To Ice; Grim And Dark and Gates To Blashyrkh.

Sure it's very early to have a real perspective on Northern Chaos Gods among the 8 other Immortal albums. Well I can say for certain it’s not a new Pure Holocaust (1993) or Battles In The North (1995) even if I don’t think anyone expected that.

In the end a very solid record that probably will make my top-9 albums of 2018.

RANKING ALL 8 IMMORTAL ALBUMS & THEIR FUTURE

Like the title says I'll be ranking all the 8 albums by Immortal released thus far. After discovering the Norwegian and Swedish Black Metal scene in 1994 they were the 4th band I started to listen to after Dissection (Metal of Death, yeah I know...), Emperor and Marduk. 

Immortal are one of the most important bands in the genre I think. They surely attracted many people to the scene with their own unique Black Metal sound. Enter The Eternal Fire from the timeless classic Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (1987) by Bathory certainly inspired them especially for Battles In The North and the later records.

The new Immortal song was just released, the title track from their new album Northern Chaos Gods. It will mark a new dawn in the Immortal saga. But first let's all remember their glorious past. Black Metal excellence of the finest sort that was crafted by a legendary band.

Note that I don't include the live CD & DVD The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh (2010). Because it doesn't fill my criteria for a list of their full length albums, it's the same reason I would never include a compilation album neither.

All of these records are great I want to state at first. Some amazing, some excellent, some of them are masterpieces. I made this list many months ago and really put much time into it. Didn't slop together something during a coffee break at work.

This is my opinion of what I consider to be the best Immortal albums ranked from "worst" to best:

8. All Shall Fall (2009)

It was pretty easy to pick out my least favorite. This was the first Immortal album in 7 years after the band had its break between 2003-06, they had also recruited Apollyon (Aura Noir etc.) on bass. The album starts of really strong with the best song on this album the title track All Shall Fall.

I really liked that Immortal used this as the live opener on some occasions, it's a very fitting song to start of a concert with, as they did many times on their last tour with Abbath. The band recorded the album in both Greighallen and Abyss Studios. I think they got a good sound it's better then average but for me I would've preferred a more raw and unfiltered sound.

Other outstanding tracks are the last one on the record Unearthly Kingdom and also Norden On Fire the other songs are good, but not on par with Immortal can preform so it's somewhat uneven. Some of the guitar solos by Abbath are not great in my opinion one certainly miss Demonaz on this record...

7. Damned In Black (2000)

I have to admit that when I heard this for the first time I hated it. Just released 13 months after their masterpiece At The Heart of Winter I was so disappointed.

Like we did back in those days I would listen to the album at the record store with headphones before deciding to buy it (at least me I didn't dabble with MP3's). After a couple of songs I had enough and didn't buy it.

The production sounded so weak in my ears and the songs weren't even close to its predecessor. But I gave the album another chance after some time and I discovered that indeed there was some great songs on the record like Triumph; Wrath From Above; Damned In Black etc. and got the album on a digipack CD something I always was a sucker for back in the day. I still think the production sounds weak compared to the rest of their discography.

Also something I think is worth mentioning is that ever since Demonaz had to quit playing guitar in Immortal is that the albums became longer. But out of the 4 with Abbath on guitar this one clocks in at 36 min 43 sec making it the shortest one of those 4.

All the 4 first albums was shorter than Damned In Black while Sons of Northern Darkness is over 50 min making it their longest record and "Blizzard Beasts" the shortest 28 min 56 sec.

6. Sons of Northern Darkness (2002)

For the third time the band worked with Peter Tägtgren. The production between this and it's predecessor is night and day because it sounds great. Also lots of great songs like One By One; Tyrants; Sons of Northern Darkness; Beyond the North Waves and In My Kingdom Cold.

It felt like the Immortal were back in great form and some great Abbath riffs on this one. Even if as a whole the album is a bit uneven in terms of its material.

They toured extensively for this record and in 2003 they decided to quit Immortal due to "personal reasons". However Abbath & Demonaz hooked up with former drummer Armagedda and started the band simply called I and released an album called Between Two Worlds (2006) that had a more Heavy Metal direction. It's a good album but not close to anything Immortal produced.

Just a couple of months after that release Immortal had reformed and played the Inferno Festival in Norway in April of 2007 a bunch of festivals in Europe that summer and some North American dates.

5. Blizzard Beasts (1997)

For this one the band had found a permanent drummer at last with Horgh. The first time I heard anything from this record was the song Mountains of Might and it's still my favorite song on Blizzard Beasts album.

I can't remember if it was on an compilation album that came with a magazine or something a friend had? Know that it appears on the Century Media compilation Feuersturm from 1997 remember borrowing the CD from a friend. It had Darkthrone, Dissection, Arcturus, Emperor, Satyricon, Mayhem etc. just to name a few bands on that double CD with 26 different artists.

Blizzard Beasts took awhile for me to fully appreciate and I hesitated to buy it. Also the fact that I was 17 years old and needed money for beer and other records... The main complaint about the album is usually the production.

It still sounds very much Black Metal but compared to their 2 previous records it has this "muddy sound" (not primitive necro) too it. That's the best way I can explain it but I wouldn't change anything on it. Also you can hear some Morbid Angel "influences" on this one.

They chose not to record in Grieghallen where they had recorded their 3 previous records, but instead worked in the Sigma Recording Studio with producer Henrikke Helland.

The great songs shows what an amazing album this is, Nebular Ravens Winter great title by the way, was the 2nd song I really liked at first I bought the CD. Others are Battlefields: Noctambulant  and Frostdemonstorm but also the rest songs for that matter.

4. Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (1992)

The great classic debut released in July of 1992 and one of the first official records to be released in the Norwegian Black Metal scene after Deathcruch; A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Burzum.

Just like Varg Vikernes did with Burzum also Immortal chose to record this record with Eirik "Pytten" Hundvin in Grieghallen that many other bands did during those days like Mayhem, Emperor, Enslaved etc. It has this great grim, cold and primitive sound to it and Immortal really had a sound of their own it wasn't perfected on this album yet but they came close. It's also the only full length album with Armagedda as their drummer.

The band had already put out an 7" vinyl simply called "Immortal" in 1991 and 2 tracks from that release is on this record Unholy Forces of Evil and The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost. The band made a video for the song The Call of the Wintermoon. Amazing song but the video is very isn't very good.

I don't remember even seeing that promo video on European MTV Headbanger's Ball at the time and I'm glad that wasn't my first experience with the Black Metal genre. At the time I was into Thrash Metal (Slayer, Kreator, Sepultura etc.) and Death Metal (Entombed, Dismember, Morbid Angel etc.) and would have wondered what the fuck is this what Black Metal is supposed to be like.

Now I'm glad it exists and it's not the worst Black Metal video I've ever seen I just say Lilith's Em.....

Anyway I think that "Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism" should be in every ones collection if you're into Norwegian Black Metal not just because it's one of the first records released in the scene but also the fact it's also an excellent album.

3. At The Heart of Winter (1999)

The first record without Demonaz on guitar due to his illness severe tendinitis in his arms that prevented him to play the guitar. Abbath then singer & bassist took over the role as the guitarist in Immortal, however Demonaz continued with the band to write all the lyrics and occasionally work as the bands manager.

This is also the first time the band worked with Peter Tägtgren in the Abyss Studios. Another first was not to have the band on the front cover art of the album. With all these changes one would probably think Immortal would fail, but they didn't.

Instead they made an amazing album some have it as their favorite Immortal album and when it was released I was also one of those people.

Some might think nostalgia is why this isn't my number 1 Immortal record, but no that's not the case. When it was fresh and new it was amazing it still is, but the other records are better in the long run in my opinion.

2. Battles in the North (1994)

I think everything about this record is excellent from the whole white concept of the albums artwork, production, performance, songs, lyrics. A true masterpiece of Norwegian Black Metal scene.

I never heard Immortal say this is a "concept album" but in my eyes this the "Blashyrkh" peak of the band. It wasn't as present on Pure Holocaust or Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism but here they go all out and one truly believes in this imaginary world.

There's nothing I would change on this record it's pure perfection I could mention songs like my favorite Cursed Realms Of The Winterdemons, the 2 that got promo videos Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms and Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark).

Both were released on the VHS Masters of Nebulah Frost (1995). It has Hellhammer from Mayhem, Arcturus etc on the Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms video, where he looks completly out of place. He was a member in Immortal for a short while in 1995 but it's actually Abbath who plays drums on the whole Battles In The North album.

Oh yes more songs to mention Battles in the North; Circling Above in Time Before Time I could go on but trust me the whole album is meant to be enjoyed from start to finish.

This record is mandatory to have in your collection! Like the next one and the at least the two albums previous on this list.

1. Pure Holocaust (1993)

The first Immortal album I ever got on CD back in the day. If I only got to listen to one Immortal record for the rest of my life it would be this masterpiece I never grow tired of it and still to this day whenever I throw it on it amazes me.

It's very different from their followup album Battles in the North, it's more connected to their debut Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism but still a HUGE progression of their sound.

Although Erik "Grim" Brødreskift (1969-1999) is credited as their drummer, Abbath was the one pounding the skins on Pure Holocaust.

I could go on and on about its excellence but instead of reading this if you haven't heard the record stop reading and get yourself a copy. Preferably on vinyl and enjoy the 8 all brilliant tracks in approx 34 minutes of "Holocaust Metal" as Immortal called their music at the time.


Now for the future. I hadn’t pre-ordered the "Northern Chaos Gods" vinyl or the 7" until I heard the new song. I’ll admit I was very pessimistic about the whole thing, from when I first heard about Horgh and Demonaz continuing on with Immortal after Abbath's depature. Still I was very eager to hear it just because of Demonaz playing guitar once again.

The song blew me fucking away. Fast, aggressive, crushing and those amazing guitars!! It was so rewarding to hear a Demonaz solo on a Immortal song once again after 21 year. But most important they sound hungry and out for bloody vengeance.

However I will say that the vocals isn’t perfect, they are very distorted and way different from the vocals on March of the Norse album by Demonaz but that wouldn't have fit on a Immortal record anyway. That's my main gripe with the song but I'll do with those vocals. I've heard MANY worse vocal performances during my years.

I’m very optimistic about the Northern Chaos Gods album but still keep my expectations low. But if the album sounds anything like this song I’ll be very happy man on the 6th of July. Their future looks very interesting to say the least.


Update May 19th 2019
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Well after owning the Northern Chaos Gods album for 10 months now I have to say the result were beyond all expectations. I think that Demonaz vocals fits very fine with the Immortal sound.

I would place this at number 6 just after Blizzard Beasts and definitely before Sons Of Northern Darkness it's that great and a must have in a Black Metal collection.

Just wish Demonaz and Horgh will play live! Would really like to hear both how the old songs would sound with another vocalist and also the new material. Do know that his injury disabled him from live performances and doing vocals at the same time would probably be difficult.

Haven't heard anything about them performing live and I wouldn't like to have another guitarist in Immortal now and Demonaz just doing vocals.

But I don't want him just to play guitar probably sitting down with some hired vocalist. Okay if they got my favorite Black Metal vocalist of all time Mortuus/Arioch from Marduk and Funeral Mist to fill the live role I would for sure watch it!

We will just have to wait and see whatever the future brings but another album I would buy without any hesitation. In the meanwhile Northern Chaos Gods still fills my Immoral needs for now.