album from Norway’s most unmistakable black metal entity is the second since the departure of co-founder Abbath in 2015 and the first with Demonaz as the last man standing, after the departureoffered convincing proof that Immortal remain committed to delivering the kind of thrilling, riffpowered black metal that can evolve with the times without losing its connection to the elemental spirits of its notorious second wave. Given the turbulence between Demonaz and his former bandmates, it’s easy to see the title as both a standard-issue Thunder-god metaphor and a personal manifesto. Regardless, Immortal’s latest is an unremittingly brutal campaign with an absolutely ruthless sense of conviction.
