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Rating: The 1993 saw the death of Euronymous at the hands of Varg Vikernes, ending his life, the mind behind the one-man band Burzum.
This tragic event marked the rapid rise of black metal, which within a few years would become a widespread phenomenon. 1993 also marked the rise to success for Immortal, with the punishing 'Pure Holocaust' released just as the mass media had their focus on the Norwegian scene. Aware of the situation, Abbath and Demonaz participated in the 'Fucking Christ Tour' in December of the same year.
This series of concerts alongside Rotting Christ and Blasphemy proved to be a critical success and earned Immortal a good reputation. The audience's response boosted the musicians' confidence; Abbath and Demonaz experienced a moment of great euphoria. Many new bands drew their inspiration from Immortal. The violence and relentless speeds of 'Pure Holocaust' pushed them to step on the accelerator. Immortal feared no rivals; Demonaz mentioned in an interview that his next album would be called 'Battles in the North' and it would be even faster. The album, he said, was a mix between the massacre of 'Pure Holocaust' and the acoustic parts of 'Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism' that were absent on 'Pure Holocaust'.
The album opens with the title track; finally, Immortal uses this title, and the third album contains music forged in blood and snow; the title track leaves no doubt about it. As fast and violent as the fury of the elements; Immortal wanted to push the intentions of 'Pure Holocaust', the sounds are carried like the wind and snow in December. With their music, Immortal evoke battles on snow-covered mountains, the snowy sky lashes the faces of the fighters with bands of icy snow. Immortal have never been so hostile. The second track is driven by a darker rhythm than the opener, the riffs are simple but the charge is unbearable, the lyrics are an invitation to night paths that do not exist. "Descents into Eminem of Silence" has a melodic appeal although it does not yield to compromises. The riff in the middle of the song is very beautiful; hidden by the battering of the drums and the distortion. The lyrics speak of an ancient knowledge that leads to becoming custodians of something unknown. I won’t list all the tracks, let's get to the last track of the CD, "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)", which boasts an immediate riffing and in the opening presents a very atmospheric guitar riff; if the tension has reached the peak by the end of the CD, Immortal catch their breath, surprisingly a keyboard arrives, and finally the main riff is taken up and repeated until the end.
"Battles in the North" is Immortal's masterpiece, a great display of talent, creativity, inspiration for a band that has always evolved.
Hail Immortal
Hail Sons of Northern Darkness
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Battles in the North (04:11)
Come forth demonized
Under the banner of
Blashyrkh we ride
In the battlesky
We lie estranged
Kings of the ravenrealm
We trample bejeweled
Thrones of the earth
In an age underdreamed of
Viewing myriad battles
Yet our eyes sparkling
Strident with strength
To trample bejeweled
Thrones of the earth
In an age underdreamed of
The ones to sit upon
The elder thrones
With shadowed faces
For the coming centuries
Riding towards the masterfields
A ride from the north
To the north
By our sacred raven
We are one
In the deadwhite moonlight
far above we reign mercilessly
Kings of the ravenrealm
Stronger than ice
Stronger than stone
A horde of heathenhearts to come
Battle... Battles in the north
Those who adhere to principle
Above battlelust
Sing your songs with dying breath
For the kings of the ravenrealm
For the kings of the ravenrealm
Battle... Battles in the north
02 Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms (02:47)
Frostbitten I became
Forthwith to see
Crystalized dimensions
To where the unfaithful fly
You might say
I'm demonized
but yet not the only one
You must come to me
There are nocturnal paths
To follow
Painted faces
From earlier centuries
Wander by desecrating winds
Binded shadows
Cast out from daylight
And from the beaten lands
Frostbitten I became
Forthwith to see
Crystalized dimensions
To where the unfaithful fly
You might say
I'm demonized
but yet not the only one
You must come to me
There are
Nocturnal path to follow
Enjoying the circle of eminent silence
Amidst the glacial abyss
Join my yearning emptiness
And the knowing
Of being beneath
Grim and frostbitten kingdoms
03 Descent Into Eminent Silence (03:09)
Standing by ringwalls of stone
Deepest dungeons
Passing irongates
Nor the golden send dreams
Under towers that
Once stormed in sight
That never storm
Hill.. the elder ravens
Above borgs layed in fog
Forget not
The blasphemic nordic deeps
Shadows... steal our souls
Into what we once were
I'm feeling
That well be taken there
Closed in time for those
Who shall not pass our gates
04 Throned by Blackstorms (03:38)
In circles concentric
Against the earth
I enthrone my spiritworlds
Obviously of frost shall be
Blizzard beasts
Encompassing me
To vipe the faces
Of the earth
In memorial to the ones
With pride
And glance of day
Will never shine
For these realms are mine
Master of nebulah frost
Await the solar fall
Creations of ice
Shall behold
Wings majestic funereal
Guide through spectral lands
None shall pass me there
Hidden within churning chasms
Of an elder age
Come the mighy sons of dawn
Shadows of aurora
A time for pure holocaust
To rise
Decades a thousand fold
In circles concentric against
Against the earth
I enthrone my spiritworlds
Obviously of frost shall be
Blizzard beasts
Encompassing me
To vipe the faces
Of the earth
In memorial to the ones
With pride
Glance of day shall
Never shine
For these realms are mine
Stillbreathing waters
Made birth to the beasts
From the throne of the north
Throned by blackstorms
05 Moonrise Fields of Sorrow (02:24)
Moonrise fields of sorrow
Our mighty fathers fell
Mountains watches memories
From a darkshining past
Layed in frost
Below a bleak sun
Under icicled paths
Mighty were the
Fathers of norsemen
And in us they shall return
Shine for me
Fields of sorrow
Shine for me dread moon
And make me
Neverending snowfall
Moonrise fields of sorrow
Layed in frost
Below a bleak sun
Under iced paths
Mighty were the
Fathers of norsemen
And in us they shall return
06 Cursed Realms of the Winterdemons (03:59)
Eyeless in eternal time
For I have worm the moonshine
Burning away daylight glimmer
With my nocturnal senses
Winds have come for me
Descending now
Thowards the frostmoon eclipse
A spectral spiritkingdom rise
In stormscreens
Covered by eyes
Night emits its shadow
There is no difference
Between the ravens
They have come for me
They will come to me
To the cursed realm
Of the winterdemons
Lavender eyes had only known
The underdark
From crypts of stone they rise
Beyond the blinding glare
Eyeless in eternal time
For I have worn moonshine
Burning away daylight glimmer
With my nocturnal senses
Winds have come for me
Winds will come for me
Descending now towards
The frostmoon eclipse
Out from the chambers
And horizons will open for me
The face of the earth
Will be to know black silence
For I saw them march for the lights...
07 At the Stormy Gates of Mist (02:59)
Endless tall mountainsides
Gates to open wide
Land of dragonbirths
Sorrow always rains
On a frosty path to sorrow
Guarded by unearthly beasts
Darkening memories
Claim that winter never dies
With bad moons enshrined
In the heart
Northern darkness walks
With me hand in hand
Endless tall mountainsides
Gates to open wide
Land of dragonbirths
Sorrow always rains
What waits me there
Behind the permafrost
Views that eye can never bear
At the stormy gates of mist
I'm still standing...
08 Through the Halls of Eternity (03:35)
In storm I ride
Toward the shadowruins
Infernally vasts
Take my sight
Then color my vision
From an endless dripping sky
Paint the visage
Centuries old
Of those
That rode by my side
The houvering steel desecrators
Nearer have I never been
To this that I always searched
The crystal cleared opening
In wich I shall be gone
From an endless dripping sky
Cryptic visages centuries old
Of those that rode by my side
In storm I stand upon ruions
Infernally vasts take my sight again
The light is dim before me
For the vision was frost
Chiming bells of immortality
Sings through the halls of eternity...
10 Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark) (04:34)
far above the ravengate
the spreaded wings of blashyrkh waits
Above the roaring depths
Sits the oath of frost
On the elder raventhrone
Older mountains sleeping in my sight
By chilling woods I stand
A grimly sound of naked winds
Is all that shall ever be heard from here
Cometh the rightful kings of highest halls
Cry of ravens lurk the realm
Eternally through the noctambulant grimness
...Demons stride at the gates of blashyrkh...
...Blashyrkh... Mighty ravendark...
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By wwwhatemoornet
Battles In The North is perhaps one of the greatest albums that the Norwegian black metal scene has ever produced.
It’s better to remember them when everything was more "true" Norwegian black metal and when Immortal were truly the best.
