Blizzard Beasts

Last updated
Blizzard Beasts
BlizzardBeasts.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 20, 1997
RecordedSeptember–November 1996
StudioSigma Studios, Bergen, Norway
Genre Black metal, death metal
Length28:56
Label Osmose
Producer Immortal and Henrikke Helland
Immortal chronology
Battles in the North
(1995)
Blizzard Beasts
(1997)
At the Heart of Winter
(1999)

Blizzard Beasts is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on March 20, 1997, through Osmose Productions. It is the last Immortal album to feature the performance of founding member Demonaz Doom Occulta until Northern Chaos Gods (2018) and the first to feature Horgh on drums. Demonaz was later diagnosed with acute tendinitis which prevented him from playing guitar at the required speed for Immortal's music. [1] Stylistically, Blizzard Beasts has primarily songs that are less than three minutes long, contrasting with Immortal's usual longer song lengths.

Contents

Release

On the first pressings of the album, the logo was etched into the jewel case front.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Chronicles of Chaos 8/10 [3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 8/10 [4]

AllMusic gave the album an unfavorable review, writing, "Blizzard Beasts [...] sounds like a rush job when compared to the rest of the band's triumphant catalog. The majesty of the group's songwriting is buried in the album's subpar production values, which render the potentially brilliant hyperspeed riffing and drum battery gutless and ineffectual." [2] Chronicles of Chaos noted the album's death metal influence, comparing their sound to that of Morbid Angel's. The website ultimately called it an "unexpected and interesting change for the band, with some fierce and engaging material." [3] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff remarked how the album covered "every facet of stand-alone black metal mayhem" and praised Immortal for playing "the very best no frills black metal on the planet." [4]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Demonaz

No.TitleMusicLength
1."Intro" 1:00
2."Blizzard Beasts" Abbath, Demonaz2:49
3."Nebular Ravens Winter"Abbath4:13
4."Suns That Sank Below"Abbath, Demonaz2:47
5."Battlefields"Abbath, Demonaz3:40
6."Mountains of Might"Abbath6:38
7."Noctambulant"Abbath2:22
8."Winter of the Ages"Abbath2:33
9."Frostdemonstorm"Abbath, Demonaz2:54
Total length:28:56

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1997)Peak
position
Finnish Albums Chart [5] 40

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immortal (band)</span> Norwegian black metal band

Immortal is a Norwegian black metal band from Bergen. The group was founded in 1991 by frontman and guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta. The pair worked with various drummers, and were later joined by former drummer Horgh in 1996.

<i>To Mega Therion</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Celtic Frost

To Mega Therion is the first full-length studio album by Swiss extreme metal band Celtic Frost, released in October 1985 through Noise Records. The cover artwork is a painting by H. R. Giger titled Satan I.

<i>Cruelty and the Beast</i> 1998 studio album by Cradle of Filth

Cruelty and the Beast is the third studio album by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth, released on 5 May 1998 by Music for Nations. It is a concept album based on the legend of the Hungarian "blood countess" Elizabeth Báthory and features guest narration by actress Ingrid Pitt in-character as Báthory, a role she first played in the Hammer Horror film Countess Dracula in 1971.

<i>Stigmata</i> (Arch Enemy album) 1998 studio album by Arch Enemy

Stigmata is the second studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy. The album was Arch Enemy's first to see worldwide release, in Europe and North America on Century Media Records, and in Japan again on Toy's Factory records. Stigmata features session drummer Peter Wildoer, who had also appeared in Christopher Amott's solo project Armageddon on the 1997 album Crossing the Rubicon, shortly before the recording of the album. The album was reissued on 25 May 2009, featuring a new layout, packaging, and bonus tracks. Stigmata not only contains a title track, but a track named after their previous album as well. The Sri Lankan metal band Stigmata named themselves after this album. The album was reissued again on 28 April 2023 in various formats, along with a visualiser for “Bridge of Destiny”.

<i>Blood on Ice</i> 1996 studio album by Bathory

Blood on Ice is the ninth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released on 27 May 1996, through Black Mark Production. It is a concept album.

<i>Into the Unknown</i> (Mercyful Fate album) 1996 studio album by Mercyful Fate

Into the Unknown is the fifth album by Danish heavy metal band Mercyful Fate, released on 20 August 1996 through Metal Blade Records. It is the most commercially successful Mercyful Fate album to date, peaking at No. 31 in the Finnish charts and remaining for two weeks in the Top 40. It is the only album by the band to appear on the charts.

<i>Bitter Suites to Succubi</i> 2001 EP by Cradle of Filth

Bitter Suites to Succubi is the third EP by English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth. It was released on 22 May 2001, through the band's own Abracadaver label.

<i>Octagon</i> (Bathory album) 1995 studio album by Bathory

Octagon is the eighth studio album by Swedish extreme metal band Bathory. It was released on 17 October 1995 through Black Mark Production. It continues the retro thrash metal style of the previous album, Requiem. It was reissued in 2003, with the first two tracks combined and "Winds of Mayhem" outro added.

<i>Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism</i> 1992 studio album by Immortal

Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on 1 July 1992 through Osmose Productions. It is the only album to feature Armagedda on drums.

<i>Pure Holocaust</i> 1993 studio album by Immortal

Pure Holocaust is the second album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on November 1, 1993, on Osmose Productions. It is generally faster sounding than its predecessor Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism. The lyrics focus mainly on ice, snow, and fantasy landscapes.

<i>Battles in the North</i> 1995 studio album by Immortal

Battles in the North is the third studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on May 15, 1995 through Osmose Productions. It picks up where its predecessor, Pure Holocaust, left off, featuring extreme tempos, low-fidelity production, and lyrics about coldness or wintery landscapes. This is the first album where the concept of Blashyrkh becomes a central focus. It is the last album to feature Abbath on drums.

<i>At the Heart of Winter</i> 1999 studio album by Immortal

At the Heart of Winter is the fifth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on February 22, 1999 through Osmose Productions. It is the first Immortal album not to feature Demonaz on guitar, as he suffered from acute tendinitis in his hands, as well as the last album until Sons of Northern Darkness to feature Abbath on bass. The album marks a shift in Immortal's musical sound, towards a black metal and thrash metal fusion.

<i>Sons of Northern Darkness</i> 2002 studio album by Immortal

Sons of Northern Darkness is the seventh album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. Musically, it continues the blackened thrash metal style heard on the two previous releases At the Heart of Winter and Damned in Black. This was the band's first release on Nuclear Blast Records and the last album to feature Iscariah on bass, who admitted to only play bass on the opening track "One by One", with the rest of the album's bass tracks being played by vocalist/guitarist Abbath, which is the last time he would contribute to playing bass before his departure in 2015.

<i>Damned in Black</i> 2000 studio album by Immortal

Damned in Black is the sixth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on March 27, 2000, through Osmose Productions, making it their last album released through their long-time collaboration with the French record label. It's their first album where bass guitar duties are handled by Iscariah. Besides some death metal influences, mostly manifested in the opening track "Triumph", the musical style started to embrace a more blackened thrash metal sound, a style that would be more present on their next album, Sons of Northern Darkness. During the recording session in the Abyss studio, the band also recorded "From The Dark Past", cover version of influential Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, which later appeared on Originators of the Northern Darkness - A Tribute to Mayhem compilation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbath</span> Norwegian musician (born 1973)

Olve Eikemo, better known by his stage name Abbath Doom Occulta or simply Abbath, is a Norwegian musician best known as a founding member of the black metal band Immortal. Before founding Immortal, Abbath performed with Old Funeral alongside future Immortal member Demonaz. Following his departure from Immortal in 2015, he announced that he would be forming a new band under the Abbath name. Although primarily a guitarist, Abbath is also a proficient bassist and drummer, having started his career as a bassist and recorded all drums for Immortal albums Pure Holocaust and Battles in the North.

<i>An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity</i> 1998 studio album by Nothingface

An Audio Guide to Everyday Atrocity is the second album by the Washington, D.C.–based alternative metal band Nothingface. The album was released on September 22, 1998, via DCide/Mayhem Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reidar Horghagen</span> Norwegian drummer

Horgh is a Norwegian drummer, formerly for Norwegian black metal band Immortal from 1996 to 2022 and Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy from 2004 until April 2022.

Harald Nævdal, known by his stage name Demonaz Doom Occulta, or simply Demonaz, is a Norwegian musician best known as the founding guitarist and chief lyricist for the black metal band Immortal. He is currently the only official member of Immortal, and has previously been a member of Old Funeral and Amputation.

<i>All Shall Fall</i> 2009 studio album by Immortal

All Shall Fall is the eighth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. The album was released in Europe on 25 September 2009 and in the US on 6 October 2009. It is the only album to feature bassist Apollyon and the last to feature vocalist/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta.

<i>Northern Chaos Gods</i> 2018 studio album by Immortal

Northern Chaos Gods is the ninth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. The album was released on 6 July 2018. This is the first album after the departure of Abbath from the band and their first studio album in almost nine years since All Shall Fall (2009), marking the longest gap between two studio albums by Immortal. It is also the first Immortal album to feature Demonaz on vocals and the first one since Blizzard Beasts (1997) to feature him on guitar, and their final album to feature Horgh on drums before being dismissed from the band following a legal dispute with Demonaz over ownership of the band's name. Peter Tägtgren played bass on this album. In an interview before the album's release, Demonaz said he wanted to make the album as "grim, dark and cold as possible".

References

  1. "Immortal band members line-up and biography". immortal. battlegrim.net. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  2. 1 2 Serba, John. "Blizzard Beasts - Immortal: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 Hoeltzel, Steve (9 April 1997). "CoC: Immortal - Blizzard Beasts: Review". Chronicles of Chaos . Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  4. 1 2 Popoff, Martin (1 August 2007). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 3: The Nineties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 205. ISBN   978-1-894959-62-9.
  5. "finnishcharts.com - Immortal - Blizzard Beasts". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 August 2012.