A legendary group and if not the most classic it’s one of those which certainly are. For me, it’s not only a band or a myth. Because myths are creatures of our brains, but Immortal are alive, they have the power and the mastery since their first damned release! We are talking about the base and foundation of black music and culture and not only… they are the ancestors of our ‘religion’, leaders of our spirit and captors of our mind and life. Which album should I speak first about and what could I say about them? “Diabolica Fullmoon Mysticism”, “Battles In The North”, “Blizzard Beasts”, “At The Heart Of Winter” are some of those that shouldn’t be missing from a blackmetaller’s collection. 

The particular band is my personal religion and every disc of it is my evangelion. Like thousands of their fans I had been waiting for so long till I get the next piece that would complete my ‘flock’. For me, every album was a step further from their first release and that was until “Sons Of The Northern Darkness” of 2002. Every album was an explosion, more chaotic and more disastrous than any other previous album of the band. But “All Shall Fall” is actually a step back in time as it has nothing more to give than their previous release of 2002, although it is definitely a good black metal album that continues the band’s typical black metal sound. But I won’t give it up, I’ll lay down a few words for each track. The Norwegian's ninth release begins with “All Shall Fall”, with very melodic guitars that we were not used to in the past. It’s a pleasant song and I think that it is very commercial, but I prefer much more other songs of the past. Bright melodic guitar still exists in “The Rise Of Darkness” and the smell of “old” Immortal starts spreading in the atmosphere. The addiction to the band’s sound is clear in the eternal, driving and beastly “Hordes Of War”, in which we bow to Abbaths’ voice colour. “Norden Of Fire” is next and it is based on the mental outlook of the first song. Then we have the “Arctic Swarm”, which is driven by aggressive guitar riffs, reminding us a lot of “Sons Of The Northern Darkness”. The “Mount North” that comes next is rather less heavy and prepares us for the end of the album, which actually comes with a unique song with an amazing introduction that even though the drums sound more like they were recorded in the 80’s, they are totally modulated in black metal. At first you think that this is an acoustic song (although it would be unusual for Immortal), but suddenly they become ‘themselves’ again. 

Furthermore, I couldn’t feel things that I had felt by hearing past Immortal bands like for example “At The Winters Heart”. I believe that none of the songs from “All Shall Fall” can be compared to the running guitars of “Withstand The Fall Of Time” and “Solarfall” or to the madness of “Sons Of Northern Darkness” and “Tyrants” from the record “Sons Of Northern Darkness”? Where is the bloody unstoppable drumming of Horghn’s, like in the “Blizzard Beasts” and where is the endless bronchus of “Battles In The North”? I really do wonder where all this is gone. I won’t content myself on the fact that Immortal are still on top and did such successful albums in the past and it hurts me saying thing being actually one of their biggest fans…

The album is available in several editions, starting with the standard jewel case edition of the cd. Then, there is the digipak edition, which I have to admit that it is marvellous! The front cover picturing an eagle opens wide in two sides, actually opening the wings of the eagle, and reveals a photo of the band which you have to draw down in order to take the disc out. The same format goes for the 180g vinyl edition while there is also a picture disc edition, limited of course like all the editions except from the standard one. Lastly, there is a more special edition that someone could have only by ordering it through the webshop of Nuclear Blast, and that is a black box set, with the picture of the eagle on it, which contains the digipack, four picture disc 7” vinyls, a poster flag, a button and a patch of the group .