Battles in the North

Battles in the North
Studio album by Immortal
Released	May 15, 1995
Recorded	September 1994
Studio	Grieg Hall, Bergen, Norway
Genre	Black metal
Length	35:14
Label	Osmose
Producer	Eirik Hundvin and Immortal
Immortal chronology
Pure Holocaust (1993) Battles in the North (1995) Blizzard Beasts (1997)

Battles in the North is the third studio album by Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was released on May 15, 1995 through Osmose Productions. It picks up where its predecessor, Pure Holocaust, left off, featuring extreme tempos, low-fidelity production, and lyrics about coldness or wintery landscapes. This is the first album where the concept of Blashyrkh becomes a central focus. It is the last album to feature Abbath on drums.

Background

The songs "Cursed Realms of the Winterdemons" and "Circling Above in Time Before Time" reference The Underdark, a setting from Dungeons & Dragons.

Music videos were made for "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)" and "Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms", the latter featuring Hellhammer on drums, who also became the band's touring drummer during this period.

Release

The album was issued in multiple formats, including the standard CD, a limited edition digipak, a limited edition digipak with embossed band logo and album title, cassette tape, a jewel case with slip cover, fold-out poster and bonus tracks taken from the Immortal EP (limited to 3000 copies), and a limited edition LP released under Osmose Productions (re-pressed six times over the years starting in 2005). The artwork on the limited slip cover CD is an original oil painting done by Jeroen van Valkenburg.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10

In 2009, IGN included Battles in the North in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list.

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Battles in the North"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	4:11
2.	"Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	2:47
3.	"Descent Into Eminent Silence"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	3:10
4.	"Throned by Blackstorms"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	3:39
5.	"Moonrise Fields of Sorrow"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	2:24
6.	"Cursed Realms of the Winterdemons"	Demonaz	Demonaz	3:59
7.	"At the Stormy Gates of Mist"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	3:00
8.	"Through the Halls of Eternity"	Demonaz	Abbath	3:35
9.	"Circling Above in Time Before Time"	Abbath	Abbath	3:55
10.	"Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)"	Demonaz	Abbath, Demonaz	4:34
Total length:				35:14

Slip cover version bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism"	0:42
12.	"Unholy Forces of Evil"	4:28
13.	"The Cold Winds of Funeral Frost"	3:40
Total length:		44:04

Misprint

On some editions of this album, most notably on iTunes, many tracks are mislabelled. The songs play in the order shown above, but the song titles are given as follows:

1. "Battles in the North"
2. "At the Stormy Gates of Mist"
3. "Through the Halls of Eternity"
4. "Moonrise Fields of Sorrow"
5. "Cursed Realms of the Winterdemons"
6. "Throned by Blackstorms"
7. "Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms"
8. "Descent into Eminent Silence"
9. "Circling Above in Time Before Time"
10. "Blashyrkh (Mighty Ravendark)"

Personnel

• Abbath – vocals, drums, bass guitar, production
• Demonaz – guitar, production
• Eirik Hundvin – production