Immortal – War Against All
Release Date: 26th May 2023
Label: Nuclear Blast
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Emperor, Mayhem, Abbath, Inquisition, Gorgoroth, Taake.
Review By: Carlos Tirado
Immortal is a band that needs no introduction. They are one of the pioneers of Black metal. I’ve always found Immortal to be a breath of fresh air among the Norwegian bands of their generation, which were filled with edgy themes and criminal behavior. They have a hilarious image but deliver brutal, ice-cold, and dark music. Immortal understands the importance of not taking oneself too seriously. However, they are also inconsistent. One album can be an absolute classic (such as Pure Holocaust, At the Heart of Winter, and Sons of Northern Darkness), while others can be a letdown (like Damned in Black and All Shall Fall). Their previous album, Northern Chaos Gods, marked a significant change as Abbath left the band, leaving Demonaz to prove that Immortal could still thrive without their distinctive vocals (Abbath sounds like an angry frog). While I enjoyed Northern Chaos Gods, it felt like the band was compensating for years of inactivity and line-up changes with relentless brutality, sometimes excessively so. The album felt a bit too long and monotonous. Nonetheless, I was ready to give Immortal another chance to surpass my expectations.
War Against All serves as the typical Immortal opening track, and I initially worried that the entire album would follow the same pattern. However, that’s the positive side of this album – it incorporates all the elements I’ve grown to love in Immortal. Thunders of Darkness features an aggressive main riff that evokes the cold nights of Blashyrkh and resembles something you might find in an Ihsahn song. The end of Wargod echoes Antarctica, signalling the changes to come. For those seeking a return to the old days, No Sun is a scream from the 90s Black metal scene. However, it is NordLandihr that truly gets me. This emotional instrumental piece embodies the iconic Norwegian/Swedish sound.
As the album progresses and nears its end, the tracks start to resemble the old Immortal. The album strikes a well-balanced effort with clean and calm sections, middle-tempo riffs, and fast transitions. It is overall a cohesive and enjoyable experience. Although the album is relatively short, my only concern is that it doesn’t explore new ground, especially lyrically. How many songs about darkness, cold, and destruction can one create before it becomes repetitive? You might have noticed how many comparisons to their previous work I’ve made in this review so far. That’s because there’s really nothing that we haven’t seen before in War Against All. Additionally, while the cover art is nice, it lacks the memorability of previous releases (though some are memorable for their goofiness). One could argue that this is Northern Chaos Gods 2.0, but I believe it represents a slight improvement – more versatile and better paced. Nevertheless, let’s appreciate the fact that an OG band can still make fun music!
(3.5 / 5)
