Immortal deserves all respect for being one of the most consistent Black Metal bands around, and for being one of the only ones that has been more or less accepted into the mainstream metal scene without undergoing any major changes music wise.
Every new album manages to progress a little further without betraying their roots or opting for a more commercial sound, and this is no different on their latest release Sons of Northern Darkness.
The band manages to combine both the more melodic elements from Damned in Black and At The Heart of Winter with the intensity of a Battles in the North and succeeds wonderfully in bringing forth what is probably the heaviest album they made in recent years. Abbath's very recognizable growls perfectly fit the dark, wintry atmosphere that the entire record transcends, and a special mention must go to drummer Horgh, who manages to keep even the mid-tempo songs varied and interesting. Finally it has to be said also, that this is the best produced Immortal album so far, certainly outclassing a lot, if not most other Black Metal bands around.
Favorite songs include the furious trashing opening song One By One, the titeltrack Sons Of Northern Darkness (with an incredible catchy refrain I must say), the brilliant, epic In My Kingdom Cold and the closing song Beyond The Northwaves, which reminds me a lot of Bathory during the Hammerheart/Twilight of the Gods period, and since I'm comparing anyway, it also has to be said that Tyrants brings forth memories of Celtic Frost.
One small negative point has to go to the cover artwork though, while still being more than passable, I can't help but think that it would have been a lot better if they just left off their personal pics and used the background instead.
All in all, this is one hell of a killer album which is definitely worth getting, and if you're not normally interested in Black Metal, give this one a shot, as it's much more than being just another standard Black Metal album, you'll be pleasantly surprised.