Immortal - Blizzard Beasts

Now you're talking. Disregard the goofy album cover, Blizzard Beasts is some pretty good blackened death metal by Immortal. Shocking, huh. A huge improvement over Pure Holocaust, right when everyone was writing the band off as a forever mediocre Burzum clone. Unfortunately, Immortal's success would only last one album, before the band degenerated into an Iron Maiden worship act on the risible At the Heart of Winter. But for a short two year period, Blizzard Beasts had almost redeemed the Immortal name.

To get one thing out of the way, Blizzard Beasts is best listened to as a death metal album. Don't ask, let's just say that it's closer to Warkvlt than to Burzum (for once!). Another thing, the track 'Nebular Ravens Winter' sucks. It's among the worst tracks Immortal ever wrote, and it's puzzling as to why it would figure on Immortal's best album. The other six tracks - in addition to the obligatory Neraines worship on 'Mountains of Might' - are passable death metal compositions. Nothing spectacularly brilliant, but nothing utter shit either, excepted the aforementioned 'Nebular Ravens Winter'.

Blizzard Beasts is a (short-lived) change for the better, and the only highlight in Immortal's mediocre and forgettable career.

A shame Immortal regressed on their later releases.

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