Immortal: Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism (1992)

This is the third entry in a short series of black metal classics that have recently shown up in my collection.

Immortal is one of the most consistent Norwegian black metal bands of the second wave.  They have never really altered their sound over the entire course of their history.  They did slow down somewhat in the early 2000's, mostly as a result of injuries to Demonaz, who simply could not play as fast anymore.  But even though they slowed down their songs, does not mean they were any less intense.  They have re-formed a couple of times in recent years to put out a couple more great black metal albums.  But this time, we are going back in time, to their debut album.

Unlike a lot of other black metal bands from the time period, Immortal always knew they were inherently silly.  Just look at the video for "The Call of the Wintermoon" in which the band members, dressed in corpse paint and resembling professional wrestlers, ran around aimlessly in a forest, oddly enough in what appears to be Spring.  Immortal never seemed to take themselves too seriously, even if the music did not often convey that.  Instead of singing about evil and Satanism, Immortal created their own mythology, which was starting to show here.

The recording quality, as could be expected is very raw here.  It would be several more albums before Immortal achieved some decent production values.  That's a shame because the music here is great.  It is not as chaotic as Immortal would soon become and there are some genuinely terrific riffs on full display.  There is a very evil atmosphere to the entire album, aided by the snarling rasp of Abbath and the sinister guitar tone.  "A Perfect Vision of the Rising Northland" is the big highlight here, with an epic feel to it, particularly in the breathtaking guitar solo.  This song forecasts what Immortal was capable of producing.

This album sounds quite a bit unlike any other early Immortal album.  It would not be long before blinding speed became the band's calling card.  There is probably not a lot here that really separates Immortal from the other Norwegian black metal bands of the time period.  But that does not mean that the album is bad.  Far from it.  This is a terrific album that would stand on its own better if it was not an Immortal album.  Very underrated.