Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Immortal - Pure Holocaust (1993)

In terms of their discography, Immortal’s sophomore album represented a sudden peak in Black Metal mastery that they only ever really matched once more during their time with At the Heart of Winter.  What Pure Holocaust did was take the blastbeat frenzy of most BM of the time and wrap it in hypothermic riffs that chilled the very soul of the listener.  

This was the first Immortal record I ever owned.  I heard the debut around the same time but it didn’t stand up at all against this follow up and as I got familiar with the rest of the back catalogue it was soon apparent that not much of anything else could stand up either.  Whilst the aforementioned 1999 release was notable for its vast scope, robust structures and excellent storytelling, Pure Holocaust was almost the exact opposite.  It thrived on relentless aggression, merciless blasting and bone jarring turbulence.  There’s little in the way of variety here and whilst for some records that means an almost certain unmemorable death the sheer audacious nature of the delivery on this record just captivates me still to this day.

I can’t think of many more records that capture the grim and inaccessible nature of BM so perfectly.  There’s an audible arrogance to how Abbath and co deliver this release.  Completely unapologetic and full of unwavering menace and threat throughout, Pure Holocaust should be on the shelf of every Black Metal fan’s library for when their room temperature needs dropping a few degrees.