Review by ZeroSymbolic7188 for Immortal - Pure Holocaust (1993)

My favorite sub-genre of black metal is SDBM, but outside of that niche, Immortal is my favorite straightforward Black Metal band. 

Pure Holocaust however is a far cry from my favorite album. I prefer the later stuff that actually has melodies and production values (Sons of Northern Darkness and later). I like how rather than leaning on a Satanist gimmick they instead created this whole world of Blashyrk and it's ruler Mighty Ravendark. I also like Abbath's solo efforts. This however, hits me like just another low-fi blast beat fest. There are a couple of things that save it from being total dumpster fodder. Love it or Hate it, nobody else sounds like Abbath... except Popeye the Sailor but Popeye never made any Black Metal. The other thing that I appreciate most is that this manages to be a well-respected album even by Black Metal purists, without mentioning Satan. There is hate, infernal imagery, and demons, but there is not a single lyrical reference to Satan or Hell. There are no cheap shots aimed at Jesus or Christianity, because even in their infancy Immortal are a more creative band than that. For me this earns them a second star out of pure respect. Unfortunately there is no Blashyrk or Mighty Ravendark on this album either. That comes later.