Mass Burial: I, Between Two Worlds

The real shame of Demonaz’ March of the Norse solo album is that it isn’t very memorable or strong aside from it being a Demonaz solo album. The real shame of Abbath’s first solo salvo is that I was a one-off project.

Between Two Worlds is not going to try to be an Immortal record, or even a Black Metal one, really. This is more of an open road driving kind of album, I guess more Black n’ Roll than anything, but it is a great and tragically underappreciated release.

Coffin Shaker: Abbath – Abbath

This is a feel good record. Abbath is, of course, former Immortal frontman Abbath, and here is his first solo album, entitled Abbath. It’s like a fragrance ad: Abbath, by Abbath. By Abbath, for Abbath. It’s not exactly Abbath’s first trek without the rest of Immortal, as there is the one-off project I, whose 2005 album Between Two Worlds is a great black ‘n roll affair that apparently few people actually know of, and, just like this record, included Gorgoroth bassist King ov Hell. I’d recommend it.

What’s happening on this album is much more in the vein of Immortal than I was. A legal dispute brought the end of Immortal, following years of inaction and no new music since 2009’s All Shall Fall. That was an Immortal album, and from what I understand, Abbath uses a number of things that would have ended up on a new Immortal album, which makes Abbath very much a record that sounds like Immortal. It has its faster parts, and its slower, doomier heavy parts. And for all of its’ old comfortable sameness, it is a fresh, fresh listen.