666sharon666 Pure Holocaust, the second album of Norway's Immortal, sees their line-up stripped back to just the two core members of Abbath and Demonaz. Even though three band members are credited and pictured on the cover artwork the third man Erik (A.K.A. Grim) did not actually play on the album. With the exception of Demonaz on guitars everything was played by Abbath.

Pure Holocaust brings more of the same that made up Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism but the overall sound production is noticeably stronger while still maintaining the raw and cold atmosphere of black metal. While I think this one still suffers a bit from the same overall problems of memorability and standing out in the genre it's an album I'm much more likely to play. Though widely considered one of their best for me it seems that if Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism was the band finding their feet then Pure Holocaust is them growing up and refining their sound. But if you want cold and grim black metal with no frills attached then Pure Holocaust remains a must have release.

Attribution: http://metaltube.freeforums.org/immortal-pure-holocaust-t3684.html

Warthur Don't worry guys, this isn't Immortal's NSBM record - the album title refers to the media response to Immortal's emergence with their debut album, which was referred to by one critic as "holocaust music".

Though Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism was a pretty decent album, the band faced a lot of scoffing and dismissal, not least because of the rather silly video for Call of the Wintermoon. Pure Holocaust comes across as an album by a band who went into the studio with something to prove - and by golly did they prove it. Immortal polish the production rather than going the lo-fi route, which allows them to highlight the increase in their musicianship since the previous release, and the tighter production and performance is accompanied by better compositions to create a muscular, catchy, and immensely entertaining collection of black metal anthems.

Is it still goofy? Of course it is - Impaled Northern Moonforest didn't use the Immortal playbook to name all their songs for nothing. But I for one am glad that we have a black metal band whose lyrics aren't based around hate or being tr00 or kvlt or exclusionary, but simple escapism which anyone can enjoy - and I'm even more glad that it's a band of the calibre of Immortal.

metalmillennium This is where things start to heat up and get interesting. After losing their drummer (Armageddon) and replacing him with Erik, they were ready to record their second album entitled "Pure Holocaust", and this is where Immortal starts to shine and carve their niche in black metal.

Blasting you with an arsenal of guitars, drums and vocals, Immortal goes all out on this record. They mix speedy and pretty technical riffing with fast trebely sounding drums. This is the first album where Abbath has gone with a raspier vocal approach and he would stay with this sound to this date. This would be Erik's only recording with the band and would eventually part ways with the Immortal crew, but he wouldn't leave without leaving his mark first. Erik pounds out the beats on this album, using a blazing double bass drum with a echoed snare drum to lay down a great base for the Occulta brothers to work with. Demonaz shows that he did a little practicing in between records (as well as stretching out his wrists) and plays a blazing guitar that mixes in with the echoey drums, and even uses Star War's "Imperial March" as a source of a fast guitar riff in "Pure Holocaust". Incorporating slower and faster beats in their music, Immortal has broken limits and has shown that they are now a force in the black metal world to be reckoned with.