Immortal – War Against All (Review)

This is the tenth album from legendary Norwegian black metal band Immortal.

Whereas on 2018’s Northern Chaos Gods Immortal were a duo, on War Against All the band have now been slimmed down further to just one original member, and is now essentially a solo act, albeit with session musicians, (from Enslaved and Gaahls Wyrd).

War Against All boasts 38 minutes of frosted black metal. Played in the classic style and filled with the spirit of the frozen Northern winds, War Against All is easy to slip into and get carried away by. Cross Immortal’s acclaimed albums At the Hart of Winter and Battles in the North, and you’ll have an idea of what War Against All sounds like. Yup, it’s good stuff.

The songs are sculpted from blocks of ice and shaped by a mastercrafter into towers of cold intensity. The blasting aggression, cold melodies, and chilling blackened groove are just so good to hear, and these tracks have an old-school heart that’s clear for all to see.

The music is memorable and has plenty of hooks, but in all honesty this is a hard album to be objective about. It’s Immortal after all, and the music is as familiar as it is enjoyable. When you get right down to it, War Against All is a quality, well-crafted black metal album that’s just damn good fun to listen to. Packed with really good songs, what’s not to like here?

Essential listening.