Damn, Immortal has an exceptional ability to create killer opening tracks for albums! I'd argue that no other Black Metal band does it so well or consistently. I'm very impressed with this release from them. I really like how manic Abbath sounds on "Triumph." Continuing the riffing diversity and production improvement from "At the Heart of Winter," "Damned in Black" is another solid release from Immortal. I would agree that a new comer should check out the big three first before checking out this transition album (Pure Holocaust, At the Heart of Winter, and Sons of Northern Darkness). Regardless of first timer or not, this album absolutely deserves four stars and I consider it a must have for any Black Metal collection.