Here’s a hot take for a cold January morning: Damned in Black is the album where
Immortal really started being Immortal. Following the truly different At the Heart of Winter, Damned returns to shorter songs that
chug along with a feeling of canned ferocity that is clearly trying to capture
the actual ferocity of other Black Metal bands and records, resulting in
something that feels like prefabricated, check the boxes Black Metal that is
never the less totally satisfying and enjoyable.
The overwhelming feeling this album provides is one of
things being calculated, like songs were written in a very by the numbers
fashion. Even the tempo and atmosphere feels deliberate, and while that is not
intended to read as a dig, I don’t think it can be read any other way unless
the listener has some personal feeling on this album already. Immortal, after
their ripping beginnings and then journey through albums that were doing things right only to be produced wrong, settled in to what is probably best described
as being a formulaic, stock Black Metal band, one that can be enjoyed by
everyone but winds up generally dismissed by the hardcore crowd and generally
unknown to newer or more casual participants. They become sort of a stand in
for any Black Metal band, as though they came from Central Casting: Immortal
turned into the band that was playing at a bar or club in a movie where one
character had to investigate the “seamy underbelly” cliché, only to find
Immortal on stage playing “Triumph” from this album.
Now, the intent of all that is not to disparage or condemn
this album or this band, no; and in truth, not every band can or will be an
underground mainstay that never waivers from their singular approach and
method. In some ways, Immortal is a Black Metal analogue to a band like Testament
in the Thrash scene. A good, enjoyable, and competent band, but one that is
essentially destined to be known as “a” band of the genre, constantly on “How
Do I Get In To . . . “ lists and such, always providing quality but often
lacking the air or edge of real originality or urgency.
Damned in Black continues
the Immortal ethos of winter and cold and ice, and starts adding more and more
elements of battle to the mixture, so now we have songs about cold and ice and
winter battles of non-distinct import, but they all move along nicely and
sharply, so you don’t really mind them being slightly repetitive and standard.
7 songs in 37 minutes don’t allow for boredom to set in, and it’s really only
afterward that you realize the songs are pretty straight and standard Metal
fare. The album is bookended by “Triumph” and the title track, both the total
highlights of a record that is otherwise solid but unsurprising, each song
being a good listen composed of empty calories.
This comes across rather harsh, I know, especially considering
that I personally really enjoy Damned in
Black, quite a lot. But there is a sense with Immortal that they’re the
younger brother of the Norwegian scene, wanting to hang with the big boys of
Darkthrone and Emperor, but just not being capable, settling for doing what
they want and not having to maintain any image or endure any critical pressure.
There’s a lot of good things to be said about that, and Immortal has certainly
embraced that idea, turning out albums after this that will follow the pattern
of this one, knowing that Damned in Black
is a good and successful effort that is readily consumed and enjoyed. If
someone were trying to get in to Norwegian Black Metal specifically, I would recommend
this album to them as a jumping off point, before segueing into other, harsher
wares. If you can hang with this, then any other genre offerings are more or
less going to appeal to you. Immortal as gateway band, I suppose.
For whatever it’s worth, Immortal is really, really good at
creating music like this, and will occasionally break out a riff that sticks in
your ear long enough to be appreciated fully. And, not every band in your
rotation must be extra hardcore in order to be enjoyed. Long, long ago, in a
previous version of my life I knew a guy who would refer to a band like
Immortal and an album like Damned in
Black as being “party metal,” the sort of album you put on at a gathering
of metal fans and no one complains or wants to turn it off in favor of
something else; an album that lives in the background of the situation and
preforms real well despite not grabbing the full attention of the gathered. That
truly is appropriate, but it’s also not an insult.
The world needs Damned
in Black just as much as it needs any other, more immediate Black Metal
album.
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