Band:	Immortal
Album:	Sons Of Northern Darkness
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	February 05, 2002
Guest review by:	Carl Berg

Disc I [CD]
01. One By One
02. Sons Of Northern Darkness
03. Tyrants
04. Demonium
05. Within The Dark Mind
06. In My Kingdom Cold
07. Antarctica
08. Beyond The North Waves

Disc II [DVD: Live at the B.B. King New York 2003] [Deluxe Edition bonus]
01. Wrath From Above
02. Damned In Black
03. One By One
04. Tyrants (Part 1)
05. Tyrants (Part 2)
06. Solarfall
07. Beyond The North Waves

Sons Of Northern Darkness is Immortal's seventh studio album, following the good but not great Damned In Black. The expectations were pretty high for this record, especially that Damned In Black could not fully live up to the majestic At The Heart Of Winter. So, is this new album worthy of Immortal? Does it deliver that cold, chilly Immortal-esque feeling that we all love? Let's find out.

As the first song starts playing, we immediately realize that Sons Of Northern Darkness is no joke. "One by One" jumps into your face with its raw brutality and unexpected speed. Spectacular guitar riffs and outstanding drumming characterize the first few minutes of this album, leaving no doubt that Immortal have put a lot of creative effort into this release.

Right after "One by One," we are treated with one of Immortal's most memorable and beautiful songs: the wonder that is the title track "Sons Of Northern Darkness." Yes, here we have a song that could easily rival the epicness of any songs from the legendary At The Heart Of Winter: the lyrics as well as the guitar work are very solid. Immortal is back!

This record shows a return to the sound of At The Heart Of Winter. And after all, why change a formula that shows such success? The album is marked by very creative riffing, irreproachable lyrics and a wonderful atmosphere. A good number of songs are instant classics, with unforgettable choruses ("Tyrants"), epic acoustic passages ("Beyond The North Waves"), and pure black metal ("In My Kingdom Cold").

As for the technical aspect of the album, Abbath puts on a truly great performance: his guitar work is without faults and his singing reflects perfectly the Immortal sound. The bass is also well performed. However, what deserves the biggest mention is the drumming: Horgh shows beyond any doubt that he is still one of the best in the black metal scene: his work transpires creativity and execution, and of course speed.

Hands down, Sons Of Northern Darkness is a great release and a wonderful piece of art. If you are just remotely interested in black metal, get this album, for it is a grand display of black, epic and atmospheric metal, coming from the sons of northern darkness themselves.