On their first visit to this country the Sons of Northern Darkness treated a capacity Metro crowd to that rarest of beasts: Black Metal that knows how to have fun. Now sure, all the hallmarks were there: the leather and spikes, the facepaint and fire-breathing along with furious riffs and a hellish roar but something that sets Immortal apart from many of their BM brethren is the volume of memorable songs in their catalogue.
On their later albums particularly, in amongst the blasting kick drums, etc. one can find a real groove and it was this that really drew one in during their set. "Damned In Black" and "One By One" really set the benchmark in this area (and this feel is one that frontman Abbath has continued with his other band, I - essentially a slightly blackened tribute to KISS and Motörhead). One thing that unfortunately slightly hampered the overall sound was the snare drum which really didn't cut through as it should have, though doubtless this was through no fault of the band and the drumming was excellent.
Some humour was thrown in with Abbath's vocal imitation of a didgeridoo solo and a general camping up of some of metal's cheesier elements. Throughout this, however, the integrity of the band's excellent music was maintained and the set was well balanced in its energy and execution.
Immortal's visit was unexpected and their performance and material are shining examples of the diversity within their genre. Here's hoping that now they're back together we see a new album and a speedy return visit.
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