At the Heart of Winter

Guitarist Demonaz could no longer play, having developed acute tendinitis in both hands. This is the first Immortal album without him on the instrument, though he went on writing the lyrics. The playing is done by two people: Abbath Doom Occulta on vocals, guitar, bass and synthesizer, and Horgh on drums. Abbath would not play bass on another Immortal record until Sons of Northern Darkness. It was recorded in November 1998 at Abyss Studios in Sweden, and the sound plainly changes there. The material of black metal stays, and the riffing and structure of thrash come forward. John Serba of AllMusic described the result as a clarity few in the genre found: base elements assembled with discipline, trusting the power of the riff rather than the grand classical structuring of Emperor and Cradle of Filth or the strange experiments of Mayhem and Arcturus. It is the first Immortal sleeve without a photograph of the band and the first to put their new logo forward, with cover art painted by J. P. Fournier. Besides the ordinary CD it was issued as a limited metal box and as a hand-numbered LP, the latter reissued in 2005. The running order here is the original's as printed.