IMMORTAL „At The Heart Of Winter”

This record takes a whole new approach to the art of musical warfare. Demonaz had to leave the band due to severe tendonitis in his arms, this is of course not really surprising if you consider the years of hyper speed riffing culminated in the release of the previous opus 'Blizzard Beasts'. Previous record also saw the addition of Horgh as the drummer. In my opinion he is one of the best Black Metal drummers around. He manages to pull of sharp blasts and with uncanny ease change the tempos without blinking an eye. His drumming seems to be there with a clear purpose and serves to underline the music instead of just 'being there'.

The guitar sound, riffing and structures are quite different on this record. To many Black Metal purists this was a disappointing departure from the traditional sound. The sound is thick and the repetitive riffs are replaced with more complex structures and tempo variations. Old school thrash metal and death metal influences are often audible but of course Immortal would not be themselves if they omitted their trademark light speed Black Metal riffs. This record sees the introduction of synthesizer sound for the first time during sparse atmospheric interludes. Whether the band wanted to ride the popular wave of melodic Black Metal or it was a just an artistic choice I do not know. I do know that it works surprisingly well. This has two reasons, firstly it is sparse enough to not be overwhelming, secondly (this is especially audible on the intro to the title track) it manages to add to the atmosphere and, in my mind at least, it conjured images of 80s fantasy films like Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. It simply adds to the intended storyline to which the band has adhered for so long.

The artwork for the first time abandons the band photo cover art and introduces us to the first, and last, graphical depiction of Immortal's mythical realm. Much has been said about the artwork in the press and it won a prize for best cover art back when it was released. The band more than makes up for the lack of a band photo on the inside of the booklet though ;-).

At the risk of being accused of not being critical, this being my fourth favorable review of Immortal, I have to say that unlike some I am not at all bothered by the band's new direction. They chose to deviate from their early path without sacrificing integrity in the process. This may not be as grim as 'Pure Holocaust' or as much of a rusty knife as 'Battles In The North' it certainly is the most creative and varied record released by the band to date and shows their maturity as recording artists. (I just wish they kept their shirts on). All in all yet another classic record by a classic band.

note: 8.5/10