Immortal - Pure Holocaust (Black Metal)

When black metal became trendy in the early 90s, and Satyr was calling Mayhem his "new favourite band" (it was Incantation the week before), over saturation was bound to happen. Metalheads were well aware that early proto-black speed metal had its day when Von broke up and Bathory started playing Viking dirges on Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, so wannabe underground bands took old riffs from The Return and Blood Fire Death and tried to hop on the black metal bandwagon, even though they didn't quite get black metal (see Dissection). Immortal is one of those bands.

Aesthetically, Pure Holocaust is black metal: vocals are reminiscent of Varg Vikernes' shrieks, the guitars are heavily distorted, the drummer utilises a semi-constant blast beat and plays in busy rhythms, and the band's logo and lyrics reek of black metal try-hardism. The music itself however, as on the debut Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, is typical speed metal that is at best reminiscent of a bunch of riffs that weren't good enough to be on Burzum's early demos and, at worst, sounds like the soundtrack to The Empire Strikes Back.

Pure Holocaust is stocky, rigid, rhythmic "bounce black" like Satyricon, Dissection and Gorgoroth. The direct predecessor to the odious "black 'n roll" diarrhoea of fecal clown acts like Watain. Immortal even have the clown lyrics to go with their vapid music. Speed metal dressed up to appear like black metal, with the occasional sped up Burzum riff making a cameo.

The songs on Pure Holocaust don't develop in any meaningful way, being nothing more than groove riff after groove riff - see "A Sign for the Norse Hordes to Ride" and "The Sun No Longer Rises" - interrupted by blasting or thrashing on rare occasions to remind you they're black metal. Without any sense of song craft, atmosphere or theme being elaborated upon in the music, Pure Holocaust quickly devolves into a garbage plate of generic mosh fare, Norsecore and Marduk-esque blasting that might be fun to hear once if you're drunk, stoned and on the verge of passing out.

On Pure Holocaust, expect nothing more than what would happen if early Malevolent Creation at their laziest played their favourite Burzum, Graveland or Bathory riffs, only with a try-hard "ev1l" album cover and even more ridiculous lyrics. Fans of underground metal would be well inspired to skip this album altogether, and listen to some Phantom or Vermin for blasting black metal done right.

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