Release Date: Feb 4, 2002
Label: Nuclear Blast
Genres: Death Metal/Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Scandinavian Metal
Number Of Tracks: 8
Sons of Northern Darkness is a masterpiece that any fan of black metal should own, yet also has an undeniable flair that even new listeners can find appealing.
Sons Of Northern Darkness
Reviewed by:
BNH138, on january 30, 2006 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: This was the best mixed album Immortal ever put out. The sound quality was solid, and the overall tone was thick. The bass really gave this album its power, it was loud and had balls. The guitar cut through nicely and is even with the other instruments, even the clean guitars were awesome, but it could be a little better. The drums Horge did on this album were amazing and they were mixed perfect. This is one of the best black metal albums ever put out. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: These lyrics are troo to the black metal style but still creative and even sometimes catchy. The vocals are unlike any other and pull the song together. The lyrics match each tone of the song and overall mood that the music sets. I wouldn't change a thing about the lyrics. // 10
Impression: This is Immortal's best record in my opinion. The elitist may not agree because it is there most popular release, but I don't care about how many people liked it. The three best tracks are "Sons Of Northern Darkness," "Tyrants" and "Beyond The Northern Waves." "Sons Of Northern Darkness" has a fast drum intro that pumps you up for the real song. "Tyrants" possibly the best song on the album, is so powerful because of the bass. It has a good break with acoustic guitar, but when the rest of the band comes in, watch out for the heaviest part on the whole album. And last but not least, "Beyond The Northern Waves" has a really cool mellow guitar intro that really makes the song flow. I love everything about this album; itβs definitely one of my top ten. I would buy it again if anything happened to it. // 10
Sons Of Northern Darkness
Reviewed by:
Scout1011, on september 02, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: Immortal has an extremely distinct sound. Their signature frosty and tense sound is stronger than ever in Sons Of Northern Darkness. This album is one of their most popular, and I'm not surprised because it is probably is their best. I find this album to be much better recorded than other Immortal albums, which is a plus. My only complaint would be that as previously mentioned in a previous review, some clean guitar sections in the album sound comparatively worse to the distorted tones, this doesn't impact on enjoyment but it's slightly noticeable. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Lyrically this album is excellent. The dark and adjective-laden lyrics in the music shines through strongly, and each song has a story to be told, with the carrying theme being about historical battles in the North and other recurring black metal themes. You almost become caught up in the spirit and atmosphere these lyrics provide. The vocals in this album are also much clearer than in other Immortal releases, much more pronounced, and this is a welcome feature. // 10
Impression: Personally I find Antarctica and Beyond The North Waves to be the most impressive songs on the album. They have a brilliant use of natural sound effects, simple yet involving riffs, inspirational lyrics, and drum patterns which are fast paced and compliment the rest of the musical components perfectly. The pure atmosphere of each song on this album is primarily what gets it a 10 from me. I don't have any real complaints for this album, it's a truly great black metal release. // 10
Sons Of Northern Darkness
Reviewed by:
aenimafist, on april 21, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Sound: This is what good black metal should sound like! Heavy tone on the guitars, major riffage, distorted vocals, insane drumming, all of it is here on Sons of Northern Darkness! Abbath and Demonaz really out-did themselves this time. They created the ultimate black metal armageddon from scratch. One By One has some of the best riffage I have ever heard in black metal and the blast beats keep this album rolling. One of the virtues of the album is that they break into normal time beats quite a bit. There's too much black metal that stays in double-time too much. // 10
Lyrics and Singing: Demonaz suffered from bad tendinitus (is that how it's spelled) during one of the tours before this album was put out. Therefore he could no longer play guitar but he could remain as the head lyricist for the band. Since he could concentrate more on the vocal aspect of song writing, the lyrics are much deeper than before. They follow the Immortal-spawned style of grimm and frost-bitten while telling stories about the northlands and the people who fought in the wars. Abbath does an amazing job integrating these words into the music. // 10
Impression: Any metal head who does not have this album on their shelf is not a true metal head. The theory involved in making this album both lyrically and musically is just too good to leave behind. It took me forever to find this CD anywhere but eventually I found it at FYE as a deluxe edition with a DVD. The DVD includes a very long live performance and a very extensive photo gallery. Best songs on the album: One By One, Antarctica, Tyrants, Sons of Northern Darkness. From me this gets a ten all around. // 10
i own all immortal albums..this is there most solid.
the earlier albums sounded very raw..this has a good
full,thick sound..its an awsome album its hard to skip a track...5 stars a masterpiece.
I could not find anything at all wrong with this album, I love every song on it. A great Black Metal album by one of the greastest bands ever, IMMORTAL.
i'm listening to tyrants right now, the most EPIC track on this cd. i love immortal and this album is definitely awesome. they said they would have a new album out but i haven't heard anything from them since this but if this will be their last album, it was a good one to step down with. bravo immortal.
Yes, this is truly a brilliant album. The riffs in One By One and In My Kingdom Cold are top notch. Every song is great. Amazing! It's one of the only albums that's never left my ipod.
