Immortal – “At the Heart of Winter”

What is this gay mock Iron Maiden speed/heavy metal hybrid turd and why is it being promoted as black metal when it clearly has more in common with Judas Priest than with Darkthrone?

Both “Pure Holocaust” and “Battles in the North” are overrated beyond belief, but at least they somewhat resembled black metal music, albeit on a very superficial level only. That is not the case with “At the Heart of Winter” – an album so bland and turdish it gives Gorgoroth and war metal a run for their money.

The third-rate Phantom clone riffs featured on “Pure Holocaust”  funneled by almost minimalist arrangements give way to standard groove heavy and Metallica inspired speed metal. Now complete with nursery level rhymes for karaoke while you angrily contemplate on taking over your local church (not for burning! as Abbath and Demonaz clearly stated repeatedly). These chugs will put you in the right mood to drink your third can of Monster energy drink before your huge fortnite session. At least glam rockers Pantera had something to prove and could make decent lite Metallica when they didn’t mosh to their breakdowns.

This is “black metal” for people who hate black metal. How can such a contradiction exist, you ask? One word – posers, and their “king” and “queen” Abbath and Demonaz. Talk about a “pink mafia” in black metal.

Where is the black metal? Where is the atmosphere? Where is the evil in the music? That is the one question the listener immediately asks when confronted with the turd “At the Heart of Winter.” Say what you want about other early Norwegian “posers” like Enslaved and Satyricon, they at least could write actual black metal music. Immortal, not so much.

“At the Heart of Winter” is plastic speed metal/glam rock of the Iron Maiden meets Pantera variety that the underground hates, as it both tarnishes black metal and actual heavy metal and glam rock.

This beats Watain, sure, but not by much.