Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter - guest review
Immortal - At The Heart Of Winter - guest review
Tracklist
01. Withstand The Fall Of Time02. Solarfall
03. Tragedies Blows At Horizon
04. Where Dark And Light Don't Differ
05. At The Heart Of Winter
06. Years Of Silent Sorrow
Guest review by
wormdrink414 October 05, 2009
Regardless if it is black metal or not, Immortal 's At the Heart of Winter marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new and greatly improved one. Immortal distinguished themselves as more than a generic act and as one of the most creative metal bands around with this album. It is nothing short of brilliant and arguably Immortal 's masterpiece.
Unlike most of the other major black metal acts (of old and new), Immortal clearly emphasizes their music over their ideology. Swept up by what one assumes was artistic integrity, At the Heart of Winter is, if anything, a statement against the second wave of black metal which kindly sheltered Immortal during their early years of traditional black sound and funny music videos. The album abandons the punk-rock-like disregard for talent that early black metal acts harnessed for their statement, boasting riffs paralleled only by some of the more famous thrash metal acts of the late eighties and early nineties. It takes a relentless thrash metal / early death metal riff formula and mixes it with black metal grime, occasionally pausing for chillingly atmospheric (without a gratuitous amount of synthesizer) clean guitar parts which break powerfully back into a metal energy with Abbath's outstanding voice at the helm.
Each song takes the listener on a more brutal magical mystery tour than a band like The Beatles could have imagined, conquering cold atmospheres with the friction of distortion played fast. Whatever tragic element that might exist in the slow minor parts is quickly fought by relentless speed and Abbath's inhuman black metal growls. Nonetheless, each tour (if you will) merges with the other, making the decision to listen to tracks separately or the whole album at once an important and relevant one.
The fact that the album does not sound like the black metal releases that came before should be irrelevant. I realize genre distinction is important, to some more than others, and the rather obvious thrash influence that permeates itself in At the Heart of Winter is frowned upon by some so-called black metal die-hards, but nothing should work toward the detriment of what is a beautiful collection of music. At the Heart of Winter should be a testament to what a metal band can create should it leave the box of genre (I do not encourage all bands to do this; Immolation shouldn't release a nu-metal album or anything).
At the Heart of Winter transcends the sometimes constraining labels of genre, weaving in and out of nostalgic looks at metal's past while (since it has been 10 years since the albums release, it seems safe to state) building a bridge for black metal into the 21st century. At the Heart of Winter is a fucking symphony of the highest order.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 10 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by wormdrink414 | October 05, 2009
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Comments
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The Beatles compared with Immortal? Nice...
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So this is obviously an answer to the previous review. I listened to this album a few days ago, and I don't enjoy it as much I did some time ago. I think I should a review too. 
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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Posts: 21306 Written by Introspekrieg on 05.10.2009 at 19:27 So I see. This is more of a history lesson than a review, though; yet I agree with the rating. What else is there to say about such a brilliant piece of art?
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 18615 Written by K✞ulu on 05.10.2009 at 23:07 Yeah... I think I also want to do a review for this one, you know... just to make my point as everyone seems to do right now. I think all of us should do a review for this album!
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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This is my favourite album of all time, so I think it's a good rating. This is far superior to the other review for this album that was submitted a while ago. Why he thinks this album has no atmosphere is beyond me, lol
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Yeah, this review is better than the other to me. According to my taste 
----  ---- member of the true crusade against old school heavy metal, early 80s thrash, NWOBHM, traditional doom, first and second wave black metal, old school death metal, US power metal, 70s prog rock and atmospheric doomsludgestoner. o/
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Posts: 2751
There definitely needs to be a third review for this album. It's a fucking masterpiece. 9.8 is too low. I WANT A 10!!! Someone poop out another review for this album!
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Posts: 1295 Written by Introspekrieg on 07.10.2009 at 02:59 You got it.
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This would actually be one of my favorite BM albums. Quite correct, it is a genuine masterpiece. Every song plays a big part on the album, the production is perfect, and the sound is brilliant.
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Helll Yeahhh "a bridge for black metal into the 21st century"
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Posts: 1295 Written by Introspekrieg on 05.10.2009 at 19:23 That might be the dumbest comparison I've ever made. I'm hiding my face and weeping.
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Posts: 2751 Written by wormdrink414 on 16.02.2011 at 12:22 Haha, but in your defense you only compared the music in terms of how it affects the listener, not the actual music.
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Posts: 1295 Written by Introspekrieg on 16.02.2011 at 13:14 That shit is still indefensible. I'm having a blush-fest reading my old comments and reviews at the moment. So many cliches, so many "perhaps" 's and "indeed" 's. So many half-baked arguments. Need... to... repent... 
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Posts: 21306 Written by wormdrink414 on 16.02.2011 at 13:29 It was written in a matter of about 2 days as a response to the previous review labeling the album as thrash.  Just check the 7.5 review's comments. I believe there were a few of us in there who threw our feces around.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 1295 Quote:Quote: Those 2 days were spent waiting for the review to be published too. The review took about 30 minutes to write, and it shows.
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Posts: 21306 Quote:Quote:Written by wormdrink414 on 17.02.2011 at 02:51 haha I didn't even realize you were the one who wrote it! Classic review though. Always reminds me of good times.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| Beastofmetal456
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I will quest for this item, find it, buy it (or steal it depending on the prize) and worship it
---- Don't fuck with sweden We gave you IKEA
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Posts: 21306 Written by arwestromen on 06.12.2011 at 13:41 Prepare to face the guards of Skyrim if you choose to steal.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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| !J.O.O.E.!
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Posts: 645 Written by Troy Killjoy on 06.12.2011 at 19:37 Do what for whom of where????
---- Don't fuck with sweden We gave you IKEA
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I have no idea why do poeple love this album so much. Every time I hear it I want to dance, smile, go to funfair... etc. All those catchy, happy riffs mixed with Popeye the sailor vocals and darkness flavoured lyrics allways makes me wonder how the f. this could happen? Immortal should start new genre in metal music: cartoon happy metal. Seriously 9.8? Comparing to classics like Bathory Under The Sign Of The Black Mark (8.4)  ???? Serioulsy how come???
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I agree this might be best BM album out there and Immortal ideology is Norway, snow, mountains, coldness, grimness, winter storms, basically things what Scandinavian and finnish native will understand
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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