Immortal – Live At Wacken 2007: The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh DVD/CD (Nuclear Blast Records)
Wednesday, 20th March 2013
A good two years prior to the release of their comeback album All Shall Fall, Immortal had the presence of mind to do some live dates to put their pretty faces back in the metal public eye. And like most sets at Wacken, it was recorded, which made the eventual release of Live At Wacken 2007: The Seventh Date of Blashyrkh a no-brainer. Not sure about the timing of this one, as a live set three years old should have been released at least a year after it was recorded, but it’s highly doubtful Immortal cares about such things – they’re too busy patrolling Blashrykh.
Cue-up any live set at Wacken and all of the camera angles and settings are what you’ll get here. Effects are minimal, sound is pristine, and the crowd, although suitably worn out, demonstrate plenty of enthusiasm for Abbath, Horgh, and new bassist Apollyon. Abbath has emerged to be quite the showman, even displaying a nice sense of humor with his in-between song banter, often adding a comedic slant. A sense of humor in black metal? Never.
Relying heavily on the Pure Holocaust and Battles In the North albums, Immortal sounds rather large and in charge, which again, is a total credit to Abbath, who handles all guitars and vocals. His tone is full and beefy, lending plenty of weight to would-be classics “Tyrants,” “At the Heart of Winter” and the blast-happy “Unholy Forces of Evil.” And for a three-piece, the band manages to patrol the stage well enough as to where it doesn’t look like they’re being swallowed.
The CD portion is a carbon copy of the DVD, and there are zero extras. Therefore, it’s a pretty bare-bones affair. However, Immortal have a mighty presence onstage and seeing them in North America is usually limited to a handful of select dates that typically sell out, so this might be one’s best shot at catching a glimpse of black metal’s most enduring power trio. Maybe next time they’ll wise-up and include “Solarfall” in the set.
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(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)
