At the Heart of Winter (At The Heart Of Winter - Immortal)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	At The Heart Of Winter - Immortal
Date:	28/07/08 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More developed and enjoyable sound.

Disadvantages: Guitar borrows distinctly from classic heavy metal, sounding a little out of place.

Depending on the listener's preference, Immortal's fifth album is either the point at which they sold out, or actually started to make decent music for the first time. A far cry from the short, sharp, icy shocks of their earlier material, the songs are now longer, denser and more intricate, possessing actual structure for the first time rather than simply focusing on hammering out some blast beats for three minutes.

Abbath is a much more impressive guitarist than his predecessor Demonaz, even if his riffs and melodies borrow distinctly from the heavy metal tradition, in many places sounding like dead ringers for Iron Maiden, if that band played black metal. Horgh's drums are also more developed and intelligent than Abbath's on previous albums, and while the overall sound isn't exactly softer than the previous albums, the shift in focus from brutality to an extended metal experience is a welcome one, even if a couple of songs run a little over time.

1. Withstand the Fall of Time
2. Solarfall
3. Tragedies Blows at Horizon
4. Where Dark and Light Don't Differ
5. At the Heart of Winter
6. Years of Silent Sorrow

Summary: Immortal's fifth album (1999).