Review by Michael on September 10, 2024.

Fuck, how impressed I was and completely blown away when I first listened to “Under A Funeral Moon” when that album came out. This sinister and cold atmosphere was so unique back then and songs like 'Natassja In Eternal Sleep' or 'To Walk The Infernal Fields' were so absolutely far beyond what I had heard until then that this album (together with its predecessor “A Blaze In The Northern Sky”) still has a very special place in my black heart. And although I have followed Darkthrone throughout all these years, they did some really terrifying ones, especially these punk ones. Why do I tell you this? Well, with Norwegian newcomers Avmakt it appears that a band in the northern sky continues at the point where Darkthrone left the funeral moonlight. Okay, the guys aren't really new in the scene since they were/ are active in bands like Obliteration or Condor but here on their debut Satanic Inversion Of… almost everything has the same flair as the 1993 album. The sound, the guitars, the vocals, the slightly tinny drums – you can literally grab the atmosphere from back then.

Although the songwriting is a little bit more repetitive than what Fenriz & companions did back then this still sounds honest and not like a boring rip-off. But maybe repetitive is the wrong word for their music. It is more just like the songs are sequenced into several parts. For instance 'Sharpening Blades Of Cynicism' with a total running time of over 10 minutes consists of at least four different parts that all sound totally different. One part is straight fast forward, the next one goes more into some doom direction. Just like the chocolate box Forrest Gumps' mom mentioned: "you never know what you gonna get". The opener 'Ordinance' is one of two songs that sounds most like an original Darkthrone composition. Here they have the typical tremolo pickings and the hypnotizing drums that were once the typical signature of their role models. The other one is 'Poison Reveal' which also was their first single release from Satanic Inversion Of… and the reason I was so eagerly awaiting the release of it. On that one there is some more tempo and maybe a nuance of black n´roll to find - but without the fun of course and a lot of grimness. 'Charred' is a really strange song. It starts very monotonous, only with dragging guitars and drums. And I feel every time I hear the song that the drums really hurt your brain, just like a slap into your face. This is something I don't feel too often while listening to music. I guess that they had a very intense atmosphere here. If you don't like that, don't skip the song because it turns into something totally different soon. After about three minutes the song explodes and becomes a harsh black metal massacre.

Every song is very unique on the album and I would say that this one isn't a bouquet of beautiful flowers. No, I guess Satanic Inversion Of… is more like a devil's tongue when it is blooming: stinking but interesting, enthralling and repulsive, beautiful and disgusting at the same time. So guys, if you miss your old Darkthrone stuff, this one is the right thing to grab – nostalgia in pure form, served with a nice lo-fi production (but not too rough though), and performed with a lot of passion.

Rating: 8 out of 10