At the Heart of Winter Review
| Band | |
|---|---|
| Album |  At the Heart of Winter |
| Type | Album (Studio full-length) |
| Released | February 28, 1999 |
| Genres | Black Metal |
| Labels | Osmose Productions |
| Length | 46:09 |
| Ranked | #11 for 1999 , #253 all-time |
Album rating : 91.2 / 100
Votes : 47 (3 reviews)
Votes : 47 (3 reviews)
July 27, 2024
Wow! I know I’m in a crazy minority here, but I actually thought “Blizzard Beasts” was going to end up my favorite Immortal album. The way Immortal integrated twisted Death Metal riffs and more varied drumming into their wintry 2nd wave Black Metal formula worked very well for me. I was expecting a return to regular Black Metal with this album.
But no! They learned something very important from the last album! Which is how to write incredible riffs! As far as Black Metal goes, these are some of the best riffs in the genre. Melodic yet raw, aggressive and thrashy but still unmistakably cold. This is still 2nd wave Black Metal at its core, but this time, instead of Death Metal influence, they’ve injected their wintry hellscape with Melodic Black Metal and Thrash influence. Somewhat opposing forces, but it all comes together so well here!
The leads sit in this perfect purgatory between melodic and twisted, they are very memorable and full of impressive lead work a la Meloblack, but they are evil, destructive, and almost out of control a la Thrash! The drumming is in a similar place, where it is much more controlled and willing to run in non-blast beat territory, bordering on progressive at times. However, it never loses sight of being a mad, combative beast of rhythm.
Production is also quite good for this genre. Clear enough, mixed well, sounds good, but not overproduced. Plainly, the album doesn’t have any flaws, and is a masterpiece among the genre.
But no! They learned something very important from the last album! Which is how to write incredible riffs! As far as Black Metal goes, these are some of the best riffs in the genre. Melodic yet raw, aggressive and thrashy but still unmistakably cold. This is still 2nd wave Black Metal at its core, but this time, instead of Death Metal influence, they’ve injected their wintry hellscape with Melodic Black Metal and Thrash influence. Somewhat opposing forces, but it all comes together so well here!
The leads sit in this perfect purgatory between melodic and twisted, they are very memorable and full of impressive lead work a la Meloblack, but they are evil, destructive, and almost out of control a la Thrash! The drumming is in a similar place, where it is much more controlled and willing to run in non-blast beat territory, bordering on progressive at times. However, it never loses sight of being a mad, combative beast of rhythm.
Production is also quite good for this genre. Clear enough, mixed well, sounds good, but not overproduced. Plainly, the album doesn’t have any flaws, and is a masterpiece among the genre.
2 likes
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | video | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Withstand the Fall of Time | 8:30 | 94.5 | 13 | Audio |
| 2. | Solarfall | 6:02 | 91.7 | 11 | |
| 3. | Tragedies Blows at Horizon | 8:56 | 91.9 | 10 | |
| 4. | Where Dark and Light Don't Differ | 6:45 | 92.5 | 10 | Audio |
| 5. | At the Heart of Winter | 8:00 | 92.8 | 11 | Audio |
| 6. | Years of Silent Sorrow | 7:54 | 89.4 | 9 |
Line-up (members)
- Abbath Doom Occulta : Vocals, Guitars & Bass
- Horgh : Drums
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▶ At the Heart of Winter Review (1999)
SilentScream213 90/100Jul 27, 2024 Likes : 2
Wow! I know I’m in a crazy minority here, but I actually thought “Blizzard Beasts” was going to end up my favorite Immortal album. The way Immortal integrated twisted Death Metal riffs and more varied drumming into their wintry 2nd wave Black Metal formula worked very well for me. I was expecting a return to regular Black Metal with this album.
But no! They learned som...
TheBerzerker 94/100Jun 7, 2008 Likes : 2
훌륭한 블랙메틀 앨범.
6곡 하나하나가 포스를 지니고 있음.
변화무쌍하고 빠른 곡전개가 앨범의 주를 이루고 있으며, 빠르게 진행되다가도 순간 조용하게 잠잠하게 있는 등 재미있는 구조로 되어있다. 곡 하나하나가 꽤나 길지만 이런 리프의 변화에 집중하여 듣고있으면 8분이고 6분... Read More
