Special report by Mark Gromen

The usual pressures of touring, insufficient support and the rock n' roll lifestyle, compounded with the financial disaster incurred from the ill-conceived and quickly aborted Metal Gods tour, threatened IMMORTAL's omnipotence. By 2003, Abbath and Horgh had had enough, putting the band on ice.

Despite the seeming finality, each toyed with other projects: Abbath returning to an enjoyment of music through BOMBERS (a MOTÖRHEAD tribute band) and then I, an outfit that married the Immortal sound to ‘Head rhythms, subconsciously testing the waters for Immortal’s reactivation. It’s wide acceptance, and rekindled composition with departed guitarist/songwriter Demonaz, certainly got Abbath thinking in the right direction. Horgh briefly occupied the throne for GRIMFIST, before moving on to HYPOCRISY.

Like countrymen EMPEROR, a series of festival dates and select global gigs breathed life into Immortal’s brain trust, realizing how much people loved/missed them, as well as Abbath and Horgh understanding what was absent in their lives. Thankfully, they opted to create new music, the forthcoming All Shall Fall.

After a clerical mishap prevented BW&BK; being present at the June listening session in Germany, management magnanimously allowed an uninterrupted, private playback at the Wacken festival. First impression? The album is a storm! While seven songs (40:14) seems short, especially after a protracted layoff, a scan of the Norwegians’ back catalog reveals At The Heart Of Winter (six songs), Sons Of Northern Darkness (eight) and Damned In Black (seven) are all of relatively similar length. Whether wishful thinking or misinterpreted extrapolation of the few pre-release comments from the Immortal camp, All Shall Fall is not …Heart Of Winter part II, aggressive throughout, with but the occasional dynamic changes akin to that stellar effort.

‘All Shall Fall’ (5:58) - The title track opens the disc, a number initially aired for these ears, in demo form, in Nov. ‘08. The spoken word voiceover, courtesy of Demonaz, is now less prominent, beneath a layer of guitar and modulated effects. The song begins with a lull, giving the unsuspecting listener a false sense of security (serenity?), then BAM! In a word, bombastic, with that catchy evil Abbath delivery now audible

‘Rise Of Darkness’ (5:50) - Starts with running guitar triplets. Comes back to a more sedate pace (but only temporarily) before running off at speed metal intensity. Then a break, lots of riffage and kicks back up before the close.

‘Hordes Of War (4:31) - Comes swooping into the headphones like a Mac truck revving at the starting line of a race. Breaks once again feature riffs a plenty, it’s fast & furious, punishingly brutal, yet somehow coherent. Ends with an instrumental volley akin to WWII warfare.

‘Norden On Fire’ (6:15) - Winds blow, as loosely strung bass solos atop. Undulating back and forth, a rhythm is finally locked in, the tempo Immortal does so well. Another voiceover, this time to sinister mid-tempo section.

‘Arctic Swarm’ (4:03) - Again, a musical blast furnace! The later half utilizes a high pitched guitar solo over a rollicking beat. Ends abruptly.

‘Mount North’ (5:07) - Punishing drums. Abbath in hoarsed voice. A little ear candy on the guitar. Sort of a battle cry? Raging till it drops suddenly.

‘Unearthly Kingdom (8:30) - A guitar slices the calm of the introductory sound effect. A mid-tempo stomp, with Abbath’s sinister, almost spoken word vox. About the four minute mark, it kicks into another gear, both pace and intensity liven. Around two minutes to go, the guitars are double tracked. The song fades out.

Starting September 25th in Europe (October 6th North America) this album will be available in four formats, including limited (to 500) box, digi and regular CD, as well as vinyl. The artwork on the gatefold digi will open to reveal a similar blue-tinged hue of the moon over two mountain tops, with the message “Demonic in this realm I haunt marked by the sign Caught between mighty winds Kingdom of evil find.” The current rash of shirts at www.NuclearBlast.de feature the album design, said inlay or new black and white photos of the trio brandishing an array of weaponry. You can even get a Demonaz (in make-up) pin!