Immortal
I only actually started listening to this band recently, as in like a week ago, but already I can't live without them. Any extreme metal that touches on epicness does so generally in an avant garde kinda way, like Drudkh or Borknagar (another new discovery), but Immortal do so in a direct, Iron Maiden kind of way. And so my simple headbanger's heart loves them like a fat kid loves cake topped with only the most grim and frostbitten icing.
First Immortal song I ever heard and for years the only one. No idea why, as it's long been a favorite of mine. Not quite as lengthy and prog-tinged as
At the Heart of Winter, which was the beginning of their more trad-metal influenced style, this song is straight forward and bitchin' to the max. It's break neck, Maiden-ish galloping metal from the off, providing a perfect theme to an epic battle. And with the cold, black metal(ish) guitar work it's perfectly obvious that this battle involves Vikings. And if it couldn't get any more epic, about halfway through the song Abbath cries "Who battled strong to win these wars/One by one... we took your lives!" and then is unleashed one of the most badass song changes I've ever heard. The riffs surge, and the blast beats are replaced with a double bass assault that feels like the thunderous hoofs of war horses as if Immortal's undead cavalry have begun their charge and are taking the heads of all those foolish enough to stand in their way. ****, this song rules!
One thing I love about Immortal is that even though they introduced traditional metal and a ****load of melody into their sound they never forgot they were an extreme metal band, and what that means is that you get Iron Maiden with blast beats. It's like they said, "Unholy dudes, I want to headbang in a more traditional manner, but I don't want to be a pussy about it." And it was good.
The first song from the first album from this, their epic period, sets the tone. Tremolo black metal riffing that evokes the frigid winds of the North cross paths with trad metal riffs that flow with energy and all are linked with blast beats. I think just about any Immortal song would be perfect for a medieval battle honestly. It's a simple thing they're going for, but it's the execution that is where the genius is. On this album they were much more complex than the previous song. The constant song tempo changes make you feel like you're being taken on a journey through the bleak Scandinavian wilderness, and by the end you're ready to take another one. Luckily there are six more journeys after this.