Here comes a review of the great Copenhell festival that took place during two slightly rainy days in the middle of June. Acts that performed included Slayer, Anthrax, Lamb Of God, Immortal, Saxon, Gojira etc.. Lets take a closer look at what the festival had to bring…..
March Of The Norse, the first black metal solo album by Demonaz - the founding guitarist & lyricist of Norway’s IMMORTAL – will be available in North America on May 17th.
The track listing for the jewel-cased version of the album is as follows:
01 – Northern Hymn
02 – All Blackened Sky
03 – March Of The Norse
04 – A Son Of The Sword
05 – Where Gods Once Rode
06 – Under The Great Fires
07 – Over The Mountains
08 – Ode To Battle
09 – Legends Of Fire And Ice
The special digi-pak version of March Of The Norse will have different artwork and include the extra track “Dying Sun.”
Demonaz and Abbath formed IMMORTAL in 1990. In 1997, Demonaz had to stop playing guitar live because of arm problems. Ever since, he’s continued to be involved musically, writing the lyrics on every IMMORTAL album and is considered a legend among black metal fans.
March Of The Norse is the first solo album by an artist who has been involved in many influential albums that metal fans around the world consider to be classics of the genre.
The track “All Blackened Sky” from the first solo album by Demonaz – founding member & lyricist of Norway’s IMMORTAL – is now available for streaming online here (and below).
Demonaz - March Of The Norse
Demonaz’s solo debut, March Of The Norse, will be available in North America on May 17th.
Words and pictures by Kyle Moore, the Metal Magnus
The Gramercy Theater – New York, NY
February 19th, 2011
I was fortunate enough to cover Immortal’s concert in Brooklyn nearly a year ago, and at the time I didn’t expect I’d ever get to see them live again. But to my delight, the true sons of northern darkness came back to the States for a second tour. This time, it would be in a far superior venue to their last digs, where there wasn’t anything to keep rambunctious fans off the stage (one fan even stopped Abbath from playing to give him a hug.) It was an appropriately frigid winter night in the Big Apple, a sudden frost that dispelled what had previously been a very warm week. No doubt we can thank Immortal for bringing the icy cold of Blashyrkh with them to the States. Read the rest of this entry »
Norwegian black metal band IMMORTAL will return to the U.S. to play six exclusive shows in February next year! IMMORTAL is bringing special guests ABSU.
Confirmed 2011 tour dates are as follows (click on venue name for ticket link):
02/26/11 San Antonio – Backstage Live (All Ages show)
IMMORTAL’s first new album in seven years, All Shall Fall, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Heatseekers Album chart (for new & developing artists) and at #162 on the Billboard Top 200 for selling 3,300 copies its first week of release in North America in 2009. All Shall Fall also debuted at #20 in Finland, #23 in Norway , and #33 in Germany.
View the trailer for IMMORTAL’s first live DVD release, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh:
View the video by Varde Film for the track “All Shall Fall”:
For their first music video in 15 years, Norwegian black metal band IMMORTAL will host its exclusive premiere on the band’s official website.
The video for the title track of IMMORTAL’s reunion album All Shall Fall was shot in Norway by Vardefilm and features the band’s full line-up: Abbath, Apollyon, Horgh, and founding member / lyricist Demonaz.
Nuclear Blast USA’s webshop is now taking pre-orders for IMMORTAL’s first official DVD & live CD release, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh, a visual documentation of the band’s headlining reunion show at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in 2007. The $20.00 pre-order bundle includes an IMMORTAL “All Shall Fall” t-shirt and can be ordered here.
The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh will be released in Europe on August 6th and in North America on September 14th. The track listing for both the DVD and the live CD is as follows:
01. Intro
02. The Sun No Longer Rises (from Pure Holocaust)
03. Withstand The Fall Of Time (from At The Heart Of Winter)
04. Sons Of Northern Darkness (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
05. Tyrants (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
06. One By One (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
07. Wrath From Above (from Damned In Black)
08. Unholy Forces Of Evil (from Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism)
09. Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss (from Pure Holocaust)
10. At The Heart Of Winter (from At The Heart Of Winter)
11. Battles In The North (from Battles In The North)
12. Blashyrk (Mighty Ravendark) (from Battles In The North)
View the trailer for The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkhhere.
Nuclear Blast USA’s webshop is now taking pre-orders for IMMORTAL’s first official DVD & live CD release, The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh, a visual documentation of the band’s headlining reunion show at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in 2007.
The $20.00 pre-order bundle includes an IMMORTAL “All Shall Fall” t-shirt and can be ordered here.
The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh will be released in Europe on August 6th and in North America on September 14th. The track listing for both the DVD and the live CD is as follows:
01. Intro
02. The Sun No Longer Rises (from Pure Holocaust)
03. Withstand The Fall Of Time (from At The Heart Of Winter)
04. Sons Of Northern Darkness (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
05. Tyrants (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
06. One By One (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
07. Wrath From Above (from Damned In Black)
08. Unholy Forces Of Evil (from Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism)
09. Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss (from Pure Holocaust)
10. At The Heart Of Winter (from At The Heart Of Winter)
11. Battles In The North (from Battles In The North)
12. Blashyrk (Mighty Ravendark) (from Battles In The North)
View the trailer for The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh:
Founding figures in the birth and construction of the black metal genre and important figures in the Norwegian scene that later became the topic of mainstream press and film documentaries, IMMORTAL remain one of thee most revered and esteemed black metal bands in all the world. Many remember the shock in 2003 when – thirteen years into their existence and one year after the band was nominated for an Alarm award for Sons Of Northern Darkness – IMMORTAL suddenly announced they would disband.
It was four years into their abrupt retirement when the men in black reconnected with their creative force and announced to their worldwide fan base that IMMORTAL would reunite and return to the stage. Luckily, every moment of IMMORTAL’s headlining reunion show at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival in Germany in 2007 was captured for all future generations of black metal fans to enjoy.
IMMORTAL manager Håkon Grav had this to say about the long-awaited DVD:
“This release has been due many years, but finally we can present IMMORTAL’s first concert DVD. The band paid their dues with hard roadwork during the first decade and then some during their career, but they were hardly given the tools and surroundings worthy of a full-blown video production like this demands. The mighty Wacken Open Air proved to be the perfect partner for us in that sense, and this was truly a special night for both the band and the fans. The band played several great shows on the reunion tour, but the fact that headlining the Black Stage at Wacken would be something spectacular was a given in advance, and now the DVD is here to prove it again. It has taken some time, but good things rarely come easily or quickly. If you were present at the show, I think you will appreciate the possibility to relive the magic, and if you´re witnessing the show for the first time within your own four walls, I hope you enjoy it just as much! For those of you coming to Wacken again this year – what can I say but ‘Auf Wiedersehen!’”
The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh, the band’s first official live DVD & live CD release in the history of their existence, features songs that span IMMORTAL’s timeless discography and includes three back-to-back-to-back selections from their most acclaimed release to date. The leather & spikes, the “war paint,” the bursting pyrotechnics, the essential anthems, Abbath’s on-stage acrobatics, and an audience that drew upwards of 70,000 people… the magic’s all there, ready to be absorbed into your consciousness.
Take a walk through the mystical Norwegian landscape and witness Abbath, Horgh, and Apollyon as they return to the fabled & mythical kingdom of Blashyrkh, where they are destined to rule for all eternity.
The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh will be released in Europe on August 6th and in North America on September 14th. The track listing for both the DVD and the CD is:
01. Intro
02. The Sun No Longer Rises (from Pure Holocaust)
03. Withstand The Fall Of Time (from At The Heart Of Winter)
04. Sons Of Northern Darkness (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
05. Tyrants (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
06. One By One (from Sons Of Northern Darkness)
07. Wrath From Above (from Damned In Black)
08. Unholy Forces Of Evil (from Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism)
09. Unsilent Storms In The North Abyss (from Pure Holocaust)
10. At The Heart Of Winter (from At The Heart Of Winter)
11. Battles In The North (from Battles In The North)
12. Blashyrk (Mighty Ravendark) (from Battles In The North)
View the trailer for The Seventh Date Of Blashyrkh:
As everyone who was there still recalls, last year’s Tuska was an outstanding and brilliant event in several ways. Several great headliners literally crowned the event last year when Morbid Angel and Slayer unleashed and utter maelstrom resulting in a ballistic reaction amongst the audience. Besides the younger generation was absolutely thrilled about having an opportunity to witness Killswitch Engage. Topping the previous year is always a complex task for any organization of any festival. Obviously the Tuska organization may have faced a problem to top the previous events as the 2009 line-up didn’t look that tempting and convicting on paper. However, there were true highlights and and long awaited names in the line-up. It felt somehow that these bands didn’t bring the metallic pleasure enough for the crowd. As with much recent news items, the global economic depression is a factor that impacts these large metal festivals and secondly it has to be pointed out that several mainstream rock festivals have been eager to book metal bands to the line-up, at least here in Finland. It is kind of weird to see, for example, Testament playing at a mainstream rock festival, whereas Tuska is supposed to be a metal festival even a few Japanese hara-kiri j-rock pokemon rock combos were there and of course Volbeat.
The audience have obviously realized the low offering of the Tuska festival because of any single day was not sold out. According to sources, some 9000 metalheads visited the area every day. Apparently that number is a little bit exaggerated. This year’s Tuska article is a little bit different compared to other years. There are a few clear points as some of bands didn’t present a metal approach that much, especially the Japanese ones, and one Danish band. Here is the shorter review of the fest to see and feel what Tuska offered this year.
Wacken is a blessed mecca of the whole metal world. Again this year it was entirely sold out when ten thousands of metal manics travelled from all around the world to gather and witness plenty of ass kicking bands. The weather forecast for Wacken didn’t look that promising. The chaotic and muddy mess caused by long and heavy rains rampaged the ground during the whole summer. The festival often provides a survival test to every visitor with its mud and crap. But but gods of metal had seen the light and blessed the whole three day metal inferno with tremendous extreme heat and a sunny weekend. Things could not be better…sun, metal and beer. That combination is nothing but an utter perfect way to enjoy the metallic mayhem at Wacken.
As usual, the true metal commando team from Metal-Rules.Com was there again witnessing a helluva lot of great bands and above all an unexpected huge fire in the main area. Feel, see and enjoy this article.
IMMORTAL´s Demonaz talks about the band´s new coming…
Interview and live pictures by Luxi Lahtinen
Warriors from the icy kingdom of Blashyrkh, Immortal, have returned! They are stronger than ever before. The band decided to have a 4-year break starting in 2003 simply because the band felt they were loosing that important yet vital spark that kept Immortal´s heart pumping smoothly – and what´s most important, in a creative way.
With Abbath, Demonaz, Horgh and Apollyon in the Immortal line-up in 2007, the band is full of enthusiasm and passion and are once again ready to deliver their goods like when they started 17 years ago. The spirit of Immortal has been re-found and new material is in the works. This is something for every Immortal fan to look forward to for sure.
Immortal has a ´reunion´ tour going on called “Seven Dates of Blashyrkh” and the band stopped by the Finnish Tuska festival on June 29th for the very first time (that was also the very first time for Immortal to play in Finland). I managed to find one of the Immortal´s main song writers, Demonaz, from one cozy-looking hotel in the downdown of Helsinki a day before the show – and Demonaz was very eager and passionate to tell for the readers of Metal-Rules.com about all the recent updates from the Immortal camp as well as about his own solo project Perfect Visions that he´s working for with Abbath, Ice Dale and Armagedda - plus just much more.
