IMMORTAL plays fast Norwegian Black Metal, and this album was their 3rd official LP. It features Abbath on drums, bass & vocals and Demonaz on guitars.

After the terrible "Pure holocaust", everybody was wondering how they could manage to create a better, more powerful album... Well, I know many of you will disagree, but I think this one isn't as good as "Pure...". Of course, the songs are very good and sound like holocaust hymns (they are very very very fast...), of course the digipak edition of the album is a pure beauty ; yes the pictures are GREAT (not like those of the recent CDs...), yes "Blashyrkh" is on this CD, "Pure Holocaust" is better in my sense, although both releases are very similar on musical point of view.One ofthe differences is that Erik (aka Grim) isn't behind the drums -this time Abbath is the drummer- , you can feel it as the drum parts are more "mechanical" than on "P.H". Anyway, "battles..." stands as a very good BM release, certainly the fastest and the most furious Norwegian release at the time. So as for many people this one is the best IMMORTAL CD of all times, you'll have to be your own judge, buy both albums ! But in case fast Black Metal is what you crave for, the two of them will content you I guess... It's available on different formats : basic jewel case CD, digipak CD and there is also a special edition jewel case CD with a different artwork which contains the '91 "Unholy forces of evil" EP as bonus, but I believe this one was limited to only 500 or 1000 copies and must have been sold-out for ages.

9 / 10

© 2003 lord pesten