Search - Immortal :: Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism

Where the magic began...

M. Ness | Vancouver, Canada | 07/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"What better choice for the inaugural "first review" than the first album from perhaps my favorite metal band of all time. Their sound has certainly evolved over the years, making the transition from raw, unpolished black metal to a more produced, professional sound. Some black metal fans feel this goes against the beliefs and sounds of true black metal, but I say f*ck that. I don't classify the music I listen to into neat little labels like "Power Metal, Black Metal, Death Metal etc." Immortal takes the best of many different genres, death, thrash, and a touch of harmonic, and mixes it in a big pot with black as its base. What we get is a distinct and original sound that has inspired countless metal heads (me being one of them)



This CD was released in 1992 and although not their greatest, is an important milestone in their careers. It was their first CD to be produced by Osmose records; a company they would stay with for many years to come. The sound is very unpolished and garage-like, but the sound is discernable and the guitar is clear throughout the album. These dark, romantic songs convey an intensity that very few rock or metal bands can hope to match. The Norwegian influence that carries throughout their career is demonstrated here, with songs such as "Cryptic Winterstorms" and A Perfect Vision of the Rising Northland."



You won't find amazing guitar solo's on this CD, as that is not what this style is about. The solid blast of the guitar and the steady rhythm of the drums and bass, coupled with Abbath's signature vocals, create an atmosphere of ice and frost. After spinning this CD numerous times and taking into consideration the nuances of old vs. new black metal, I have decided to give this CD a 7/10 rating on the basis that this is classic black metal and would eventually lead to some of the greatest "hybrid metal" material ever released (all in my opinion of course)"

Good Immortal

Blake R. peterson | USA | 06/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I dont know what most of these reviewers are talking about, heres what this CD is, and im right: Basically this CD sounds like the first 2 Satyricon CDs and Battles in the north combined. The vocals are not like the newer immortal. Where the new immortals vocals, (especially on battles in the north), have less reverb and he has that weird voice that nobody else can do, this CD sounds alooot like Satyr on 'the shadowthrone', and thats a very good thing. I mean, you can tell its not satyr, but the style is the same and Abbath stretches out his screams etc. In other words, the best vocals of any immortal CD in my opinion. The guitars sound a little like 'blizzard beasts', which i hate, cause i think blizzard beasts is crap, that whole death metal vibe doesnt fit with immortal, cause immortal is at their best when theyre either making really epic music (a.k.a all songs related to blashyrkh, or sons of northern darkness) or they are making cold old school black metal, this CD is the latter. The drums sound like horgh, which is good i guess, they sound professional, unlike abbath playing on battles in the north. Oh and by the way i think battles in the north is a masterpiece, so comments comparing this CD to that are all compliments. Abbath sings kinda fast on some of the tracks, also in a death metal way, but that doesnt annoy me. His voice is the best part of the CD. But most importantly, i mentioned the Satyricon because unlike any other immortal CD,( i guess sons of northern darkness was atmospheric, but this is.. 'evil atmospheric' you could say) this CD is atmospheric as hell. There are acoustic guitars (satyricon), and because of the vocals and some solos and odd riffs, this is definitely the kind of CD that takes you away, like dark medievil times exactly. So i think this CD, battles in the north and sons of northern darkness are my favorite immortal cds, but i want to get pure holocaust, im sure its good. Good luck, i hope you like it."

Early days....but none the less because of it.

M. T. Chelmowski | Netherlands | 12/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Immortal is a band that you either love or hate. Some people love their consistent and unwavering support of the original raw, grim black metal sound. Others hate them because of their slightly corny image and weapon waving. No matter what way you look at Immortal though, there is no way around their influence on the scene.
Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is their first full length offering and features the two founding members Demonaz and Abbath as well as Armegedda beating the skins. The record is the band's first journey into the mythical realm of Blashyrkh. The record invokes images of icy mountains, and windswept plains where forces unknown to man still reign supreme. It is clear that the main goal of this record was creating an atmospheric and cold record very much in the vein of Bathory and the likes of Celtic Frost. The atmosphere is highlighted by the use of acoustic sections and other atmospheric interludes often vaguely reminiscent of later era Emperor and the melodic Black Metal uprising. Do not be mistaken though, these interludes are just that and do not form the core of the sound, unlike the melodic Black Metal offerings of later years. The track that exemplifies this the most is the album's closing track: 'A Perfect Vision Of The Rising Northland'.The drumming is used quite effectively to highlight the music and ranges from death-metal rhythms to an occasional foray into a very rock'n roll kind of sound. The traditional black metal blast beats make a careful entry on this record but are certainly not as prevalent as on later Immortal records. The guitar sound is not quite the wailing, hypnotic shriek that many of the old school Black Metal bands enthralled us with, rather it is more of a Death Metal sound, which is not at all surprising considering that the band members' first steps in music were in the Death Metal genre. The production is surprisingly crisp and clear for what was then quite an underground release. All of the instruments are clearly discernible although they do seem to be a bit overpowered by the vocals on occasion. This does not detract from the overall experience though.Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism is a classic release, which should be a part of any serious metal collection. It lays a thick foundation for Immortal's exploration of the realm of Blashyrkh and manages to create a cold and grim atmosphere without overdoing it and with seemingly natural ease. It is not as fast as ferocious as the later releases but as I said before this is more than made up for by the sheer coldness of the sound.9/10"