Justin’s Review:

Can you feel the chill in the air? No… it’s not Jack Frost nipping at your nose (not yet at least). That tingling sensation you’re feeling is the icy-cold sting of Abbath, Horgh and Demonaz returning from their long hibernation and delivering Immortal’s latest frostbitten soundtrack to the apocalypse, All Shall Fall. It’s been nearly 18 years since the band broke the ice with their debut full length Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (featuring everyone’s favorite black metal video and animated .gif “The Call of the Wintermoon“), and while Abbath and Co. can still be found running through the Norwegian forests brandishing an axe, Immotral’s music has certainly matured over time.

As you probably know, the “black metal” genre covers a lot of ground, and has been known to spark plenty of controversy both in terms of the general public’s perception of it and the majority of die-hard fans’ insolent attitudes towards some of BM’s heavy-hitters. Immortal, being one of the pioneering bands (of the second wave), have dealt with their share of criticism over the years, but throughout it all, have remained at forefront of the scene. In 2002, they released what many (myself included) regard as the band’s milestone… Sons of Northern Darkness. By tr00 kvlt standards, SoND could be considered the band’s “sellout” album, as it featured vastly improved sound quality, and GASP! some actual “hits” (so to speak).

Well… I hate to brake it to the elitists out there, but All Shall Fall doesn’t stray too far from these standards. The unfortunate thing however, is that when held side by side with it’s predecessor, All Shall Fall doesn’t quite live up either. While the songs themselves are undeniably Immortal, they don’t have the lasting power of tracks like “Tyrants” or “One By One” (though I will admit, I’m enjoying them more with each subsequent listen). Arctic Swarm comes the closest, by featuring that classic Immortal groove underneath the album’s most outstandingly bleak lyrics.

Release the arctic swarm to drag us down
Spread its shivering wings, caught us by its cold
With haunting frosty eyes, it journeys fast
The cold will bring the fall

Album closer Unearthly Kingdom is also a welcome surprise with it’s transition from brooding to badass and back again. Peter Tägtgren has returned to his role as producer, and on that level, the album absolutely rules. All Shall Fall perfectly captures the Immortal grimness without ever coming across as shrill. In this day of rampant over-production, it’s always nice to hear (solid) recordings that actually fit the music. Hails to cover artist Pär Olofsson on his contribution as well… it’s nice to have something besides a photo of the band to look at for once.

Overall, All Shall Fall is a (frozen) solid effort, but knowing what the Immortal are capable of, it’s probably just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s hope the next one puts an end to Global Warming.

Justin’s Rating:

King says: “Good to have you back guys… let’s get together soon and trade makeup tips. You bring the axe, I’ll bring the wine.”

Mark’s Review:

The year was 2002, and by most standards, life was good. The Rock thrilled us all in The Scorpion King, Life with Bonnie taught America to laugh again, and Immortal released what I consider one of the greatest metal albums of all time, Sons of Northern Darkness. After I saw Immortal live, I became obsessed with what these guys would do next. For me, they defined what black metal should be: riff after god-crushing riff wrapped up in a ice-cold aura of corpse paint and wrist spikes. Unfortunately, they chose to break up shortly after touring for the album, leaving many fans such as myself high and dry. Then, as if my prayers to the Norse Gods of Snow and Ice had been answered, it was announced that Immortal would be returning to the stage at the 2007 Wacken Open Air, schedule some US dates as well and enter the studio to record new material. Although my first impression of the new album was that there was some frost that needed to thaw, I soon realized that All Shall Fall is definitely a triumphant return for the Blizzard Beasts.

With expectations running extremely high, I was a bit disappointed by what I first heard on All Shall Fall. I guess it’s unfair to compare the album to Northern Darkness, but it’s impossible not to. The title track and The Rise of Darkness are solid, but they seem to lack the bite and madness of One by One or Demonium. When track 3 began, I was wondering if maybe I had set my sights too high. I was expecting these guys to churn out another metal classic and I was starting to feel a little let down. Luckily, here is where the mood starts to shift and you can hear the band really begin to knock off the rust. Hordes of War brings the insane fury and trademark gallop while Norden on Fire features a mid-tempo march of doom and that atmospheric, echoing Immortal breakdown. Abbath definitely saves his best for last, as the album ends with two monsters: Arctic Swarm and the epic Unearthly Kingdom. Clocking in at over eight minutes, Kingdom is a classic, featuring all the wild tempo shifts, blazing-fast riffage and images of frigid warriors battling you can take.

When the album was over, I immediately began listening again because I could tell that my initial disappointment was based on unreal expectations. I’m glad I did, because it keeps getting better and better. It still might not be as good as their previous effort, but that doesn’t mean the songs don’t still rule. With increased exposure and production values, a different tone is to be expected, but in a live setting, these songs will still destroy just as much as anything off of At the Heart of Winter. Looks like Immortal is back, because All Shall Fall grows on you into one of the best metal offerings of the year.

Mark’s Rating:

King says: “Is it cold in here? or is it just you? ”

Once again, Nuclear Blast have outdone themselves with a wide variety of packaging options.

Have A Listen:

Immortal – All Shall Fall:

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