The Internet is abuzz with samples and the tiniest scraps of news concerning the forthcoming project by Immortal frontman/guitarist Abbath. The Norwegian outfit also retains the services of Demonaz, lyricist and guitarist for Immortal, before carpel tunnel syndrome led to an early onstage retirement. The lineup is completed by TC King (bass, formerly King Ov Hell, in Gorgoroth), Ice Dale (Enslaved’s guitarist Arve Isdahl) and original Immortal drummer Armagedda. Together, the five have crafted one of the most infectious modern old school-sounding discs, combining classic elements of Manowar, WASP, Motorhead and Abbath’s co-dependent. Can’t remember the last time the CD player had only one disc in it for over a week, listened to repeatedly. It’s a luxury not usually afforded journalists, and the ‘burn out’ factor is quite high, given the amount of stuff received. No such difficulties with Between Two Worlds, having already heard it twice, prior to getting a promo copy in the mail. The regular version will contain eight songs, with an intro and two additional tracks on the expanded edition. From jump, ‘The Storm I Ride’ is a blasting roller coaster, built around a simple, infectious chorus. ‘Warriors’ as the name implies, wouldn’t be out of place on either of the final Immortal discs, a slow grinder, with exaggerated gruffness on the vocals. Towards its conclusion, one of the album’s frequent guitar solos, courtesy of Ice Dale, speeds things up. The title cut opens with a grandiose tone Blackie Lawless might envy, before falling back into a tempo that resides somewhere in the middle of the initial pair (between two tempos?). ‘Battalions’ is another frenetic paced number, whereas ‘Mountains’ retains all the hallmarks of immortal, circa At The Heart Of Winter, lots of bluesy guitar and sustain. ‘Days Of North Winds’ begins solely with guitar, quickly followed by a cannonade of staccato drumbeats. An ‘80s vibe permeates ‘Far Beyond The Quiet’, building towards crescendo, then decelerating to a lone (almost acoustic) guitar. Without warning, there’s a sudden switch of intensity, Ice Dale burning up the scales. The concluding ‘Cursed We Are’ is the fastest track on the disc, a shuffling locomotive clickety-clack ultimately coming to an abrupt stop. ‘Bridges Of Fire’ is a bonus track, quite grandiose in design. A short, untitled acoustic bass solo introduces ‘Shadowed Realms’, another extra-only number. As the beehive of guitars drops out, Abbath shouts and everything revs up again. The musicianship throughout is top notch, as if these black metal icons also want to be recognized for their playing ability. Quite a joyride, one worth taking over and over again! North American release on Nov. 14th.
