Ah, yes. Our mainstream metal series takes on some truly malevolent steam. Immortal just dropped War Against All, their 10th album. And – as always – this is yet another well-established Extreme Metal band that – somehow – never made it onto our smattering of lists.1 Yet more fodder for the dreaded guillotine on the RMR Altar ov Metal Ignorance.
And we heard them all. The voices screaming loudly that nothing memorable was left standing in Metal’s Hall of Fame in the thorny wake of Abbath‘s departure after All Shall Fall. Ironically, apart from the high praise received for Northern Chaos Gods which is the only full-length record standing in the way of War Against All. That’s some chaotic opinion-smithing right there. Besides, the aforementioned notorious Abbath hardly performed well after his 2016 debut. But I digress – and it hardly matters for this here review. We’ll be looking at the present, unencumbered by past glories Immortal might have enjoyed.
So, facing us is a band that should be rolled into Demonaz’s self-titled band. Because Immortal2 morphed into one of those one-man shows with guest musicians allowed only where the man himself couldn’t perform. Allegedly. Notably, one Arve Isdal on bass (Drott, Enslaved)3 and Kevin Kvåle (Gaahls Wyrd) on drums.
Thus, the saga of Blashyrkh continues. War Against All rolls in on a metal tsunami of supertight riffs and Demonaz‘s ever-present rasps. Lyrics that – for once – are understandable to a point. And that is somewhat of an exception in that corner of Extreme Metal. Yet again, the metal onslaught cinches everything so tightly that I had real trouble hearing the bass out of Kvåle lusty albeit somewhat uninspired drumming and da master’s mighty riffs. But then, this isn’t really anything out of the ordinary with middle-of-the-road Extreme Metal pieces.
War Against All‘s main issue is the interchangeable set of tracks, though. The whole chebang dangerously sounds like cut from the same cloth. Much of the same in slightly different drab colors. True, this is one of the riddles Black Metal wasn’t able to solve yet either. Self-imposed limitations abound on what the genre can or should do. And that leads to repetitive offerings that will grate along yer nerves after a while.
So, will anything stand out in this sea of dark and grey? Wargod got us some pretty sturdy vibes and a few repeat listens. But – again – this might be because Immortal reached into the depths of stuff Heavy Metal already performed many moons ago. Also, No Sun gave us some hope, at least with its pretty snazzy opening shots. But – boy – that’s about it.
Thus, you guessed it. War Against All wasn’t able to warm our cold metal hearts. In a way, the record sounds like the Black Metal equivalent of Rogga Johansson’s dime-a-dozen Death Metal offerings. An almost listless, risk-free performance that will keep yer fanbase alive but won’t garner much more of them either. There ain’t no grandeur, no unctious beat to pull the fans along, no underlying groove or menace that would instill the fear of the daemon into us. Instead, you get a mercifully short playtime of some 38 minutes full of same or similar riffs and an even vocal delivery without a great many ideas to spice this up some. Yet another record that’s neither here nor there. Safely set against a background of a fantasy landscape that won’t change its settings.
Genteel background music for retired metalheads during afternoon tea? Quite.
Ed’s note: Want to hear about all other infamous n00bs? Check out The List.
Record Rating: 5/10 | Label: Nuclear Blast Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 26 May 2023
- Bands that are true n00bs over at the RMR HQ.-↩
- Yet another one from Bergen in Norway. A hotspot for infamous Extreme Metal bands and worse Black Metal characters. I don’t know, there must be something in the water over there. -Ed.-↩
- Ice Dale seems to pop up at all odd corners of RMR’s 2023 offering. But then, the same extreme metallists in the Norwegian circuit indeed seem to pop up for any new release. Chaoz rulez!-↩