Immortal’s
self-titled EP is the band’s first black metal recording. While it clearly displays Immortal’s
promise, it also shows the groups greenness. Released about a year before Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, it
contains two early versions of songs from that album: “The Cold Wind of Funeral
Frost” and “Unholy Forces of Evil”. (There's also a forgettable 40 second dark ambient intro). The songs are exactly the same in structure
and arrangement, but here the production and atmosphere is far inferior.
While both
songs sound good on the debut, here they sound a little cluttered and without edge. The recording lacks dynamism. For example, “Unholy Forces of Evil” is a
composition full of interesting shifts in tempo and vacillations in intensity.
Here, those shifts are understated. For example, the slow, dark bridge around
the 1:45 mark is a startling moment on the full-length version. However, here
it is barely sounds different from the passage that precedes it.
“The Cold Wind
of Funeral Frost” is the weakest track on Diabolical
Fullmoon Mysticism. It involves the fewest number of twists and turns and
its lead riff isn’t particularly memorable. Having an even weaker version of
the track is something most Immortal followers can live without.
This EP
was rendered irrelevant the moment Diabolical
Fullmoon Mysticism was released. The superior production and atmosphere on
the full length make the second editions far more enjoyable. Furthermore, these
two tracks, which are solid but unspectacular songs, accomplish more within the
context of the full length album than they do standing on their own. There,
they work as pivot points between larger, more epic tracks. Here they have
trouble holding their own.
Overall: 5.5/10
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