Immortal - All Shall Fall review
| Band: | Immortal |
| Album: | All Shall Fall |
| Style: | Black metal |
| Release date: | September 25, 2009 |
| A review by: | Baz Anderson |
01. All Shall Fall
02. The Rise Of Darkness
03. Hordes To War
04. Norden On Fire
05. Arctic Swarm
06. Mount North
07. Unearthly Kingdom
Immortal have risen from the white ashes to reclaim their throne as kings of black metal. Not many bands have been as important to a genre of music than Immortal have been to black metal over the years. Now the band are back with their first album in seven years, All Shall Fall.
The album carries on exactly where Sons Of Northern Darkness finished. Stylistically All Shall Fall is extremely similar, the guitars are very melodic and as a whole the album stays at the same familiar pressing pace without going overboard. The frostbitten trio show no signs of cobwebs, but there is also no apparent attempt to create something truly spectacular. All Shall Fall, although a brilliant come-back album, is a bit too steady and safe to be hailed as one of the band's greatest works.
Seven years is an extremely long time and it is perhaps unrealistic to have expected anything to the standard of At The Heart Of Winter or any of the band's other classics. All Shall Fall almost seems like the band are just firing up the engine, and it is the future we have to wait for to experience Immortal at their most devastating. With this said, All Shall Fall is still a remarkably enjoyable album to listen to and is very much an album suited for the times.
The opening title track sounds like the soundtrack to a bleak and icy armageddon and "The Rise Of Darkness" follows bringing forth the rhythmic march of the northern tyrants. Melodic plodder "Norden On Fire" brings down the pace, but "Arctic Swarm" soon whips up another blizzard being the most forceful and unrelenting storm on the album.
Immortal have all eyes on them, and to avoid the risk of disappointment have released an extremely solid and safe album that may just underwhelm a few people. For the rest of us though, All Shall Fall is genuinely a glacier of frostbitten delights. Without a bad song on the album and a tidy running time, the album showcases the finest cuts of Immortal in this day and age, and it honestly hasn't felt so empowering to bang the head along to some serious top quality black metal in a long time.
-
Black metal
Nuclear Blast
Norway
Length: 40:12
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Comments
| Dane Train Beers & Kilts Elite Posts: 8902  |
One question: does taking 7 years off and then putting out an album actually count as a comeback?
---- (space for rent)
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Quote: I'm slightly confused...does this not sort of conflict with your scoring in a way?
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254  |
Written by Doc G. on 27.09.2009 at 01:15 Why is there always so much emphasis on ratings? Regardless or not if they pushed the boat out with this album, it is still a top top quality album.
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| terrorist Posts: 358  |
Good album but there are no special parts of the alum that i find very interesting.It's pretty much the same,the whole album.And it's influenced by Project I,Abbath surely brought something from that in this album but beside these things i like this album and surely good comeback after 7 years.
---- Will the ones who live after our end Worship the goddamn cross again? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnlG0h7YN_8&feature=related
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by Baz Anderson on 27.09.2009 at 01:18 Not a big issue, well written either way. I guess me and you just gauge things differently.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Hate_All .|.. O_o ..|. Posts: 6  |
I never listen to black metal and surely not Immortal -_- but then i had to chek this album out, and i must say i was impressed so i think they are "ok" to listen to now
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| thesabbathfan Posts: 410  |
This album is amazing. and i suppose im an abbath fanboy. nuff said.
----
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| silenius Posts: 531  |
Its finaly here!, had huge expectations concerning this album, and im very pleased with it to be perfectly honest, great album!
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| elven Posts: 42  |
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| csiga Munin Posts: 189  |
Written by elven on 27.09.2009 at 04:45 at least the album cover is good, haha
----  i survived the lake bodom!
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| Slayer666 Posts: 2466  |
Immortal will be Immortal... always somewhat overrated. The album sure as hell doesn't deserve a 9. The written part is preety good, though...
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| -N- Posts: 29  |
I think this album is very special for black metal fans, because Immortal liven again.
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| Aghahowa Posts: 110  |
Average for me too, this is not black metal. Between Two Worlds (I) was better than that, more catchy, with good riffs. Nevertheless, Immortal is a live band, I can't wait to see them another time.
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| Smurfophagist Posts: 1069  |
I still can't find it anywhere . DAMN THIS WORLD!
---- Having a signature is an absolute must.
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| HellTrooper Posts: 12  |
Immortal....a name, a legend. Really, a great release.
---- R.I.P. Cliff Burton Chuck Schuldiner
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| Ellrohir Heaven Knight Posts: 8669  |
Hm...this review sounds like a good reason why to get into this album 
---- My rest seems now calm and deep Finally I got my dead man sleep 
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| In Bone Factory Posts: 381  |
I agree that this album is somthing between Immortal's 2002 album and I's 2006 album but anyway its great and I enjoy it.
---- The End Is Nigh ...
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| pazuzuovbabel Pazuzu Posts: 302  |
The rating.. and the review as all are great .. i dont think that abbath had put some "I" elements, but instead he made a collection of Blizzard beasts and go on albums .. which made a great come-back album .. IMO.. all immortal albums are solid releases .. and that album just came to complete the legacy 
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| Baz Anderson Staff Posts: 13254 |
Well if you've never liked them ("always been lame"), what made you think you'd like this one?
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| Kinzoku Posts: 57  |
No surprises, good album but it got pretty boring after a few spins.. just my opinion.
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| lord artan Posts: 297  |
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| Hellkommando Posts: 255  |
Written by [user id=1909] on 27.09.2009 at 16:29 In your opinon it is average, obviously in Baz's opinion is above average - not a hard point to digest. For example, you think they are lame, that doesn't mean that they are lame. I like Immortal's stuff no doubt, but I don't listen to them to be "challenged". It is a simple difference in opinion and tastes, but to say they are lame is a little rich just because you don't like them.
----  Formerly Desolate Gale
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| Hellkommando Posts: 255 |
It is a solid album, its not Wagner's Tristan and Isolde or a groundbreaking piece of black metal but this is their first album in 7 years and I think they did a pretty good job. Yes, partly due to nostalgia reasons but there was a lot of hype and pressure on them to deliver and they could of delivered far worse. Yeah nothing to spectacular about the riffs or the like but the album sounds good. As I said its the first album in 7 years give them some credit here, if you want to be "challenged" pick up some philosophy or look elsewhere because you won't find it in Immortal.
---- Formerly Desolate Gale
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
You don't even need to explain anything to him Desolate Gale... If you don't like the album you don't like the album and that's it. You don't have to make it to a friggin argument wondering why the others like it, it's just pointless. :
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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| Carnal Posts: 2 |
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689  |
Well, they ARE Immortal, I like almost everything they do, they have their own style, so when I want to listen to Immortal, I just listen to Immortal... that's because IMO I can't find a single band that plays as good as them, again, their sound is unique.
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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