Review by Jeger on June 22, 2025.

The mighty Darkthrone! When one speaks of who has been the most important Black Metal band to have ever struck a chord or to have penned a note, they should be speaking of Darkthrone - champions of true Norwegian Black Metal who’ve stamped their name on some of the greatest BM records to have ever been created. But the most admirable aspect of their character is the reality of the fact that despite their notoriety, they’ve remained humble students of the craft. Always finding new ways to enrich the genre, but without straying from the blueprint. Their latest album, “It Beckons Us All…….” delivers a healthy dose of Mercyful Fate worship, and their album before that offers up some late ‘70’s - early ‘80’s Doom vibes. Every one of their pieces is unique in this sort of way; perpetually injecting a number of different influences into their sound are Darkthrone. 

Like many Second Wave Black Metal bands (Immortal, Mayhem), Darkthrone started off playing Death Metal, and in 1991, they released their debut album, “Soulside Journey”, which in and of itself is a beautiful take on Death Metal: raw and brutal yet imaginative and conceptually compelling. But the Black Mark would soon reveal itself. In the early 90’s, Norwegian bands began to play music that was directly inspired by Venom and Bathory’s first three albums along with a touch of Celtic Frost’s early works, only more sinister, more evil; resulting in albums like Mayhem’s “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, Satyricon’s “Dark Medieval Times” and of course Darkthrone’s “A Blaze in the Northern Sky”. The latter of these was released in March of 1992 by Peaceville. 

The quintessential Black Metal album - the first of a trilogy of records that would later be known as the Unholy Trinity. These three recordings (A Blaze in the Northern Sky, “Under a Funeral Moon” and “Transylvanian Hunger”) paved a way for countless other bands to follow into the future; inspiration for just about every Black Metal band since the release of “A Blaze”. The Swedes embraced a more melodic approach to the craft as evidenced by Dissection and Sacramentum. The Greeks made themselves known for their ability to interject some theatrics and drama into the mix a la Rotting Christ, but the Norwegian Product? The foundation: traditional and stripped to the bone. Since those first days, Norwegian BM has served as a guiding light - a torch to be used by artists in order to properly navigate their way through the hallowed halls of genre purity. 

We all know what to expect when we play “A Blaze in the Northern Sky”. Simplistic but nuanced all the same. Vampiric during some parts and Daemonic during others. Complexly interwoven progressions here and primitive caveman parts there. Shoddily engineered to the untrained ear, but that was the point. Black Metal was never realized with the intention for it to appeal to the herd. This is music for black leather-clad nights, vandalism and late night romps through the local Record Shop. No Posers, no bullshit… From the the ominously Daemonic opening track - “Kaatharian Life Code” to the furiously driven “Where Cold Winds Blow” on through to the closer - the epic, “The Pagan Winter”, a no bells & whistles, no compromise true fucking Black Metal album. Nocturno Culto delivers a multilayered vocals contribution as he handles lead guitar duties, Zephyrous melds it all together with a disciplined approach to rhythm guitar and Fenriz drives it all forward with a power performance behind the kit, all the while as he provides vocals of his own fiendish variety. 

Most of Darkthrone’s then counterparts have succumbed to the blight of modernity, as they have - over the years - grown evermore popular: souped up production quality, high dollar visualizers and costumes… Not black leather, denim, bullet belts and war paint, but get-ups that appear to be of the Box Office consortium. Darkthrone have just done what they always do, and that’s genuine Black Metal for genuine Black Metal people. Darkthrone’s staunch reputation as an authentic BM collective has been of the utmost importance to the genre. We need guys like our boys here who know what Black Metal should be about and practice it in the face of Labels, Execs and the opportunity to sell out and make more money. Eternal hails be unto Darkthrone! After all, where would Black Metal be without them?… 

Rating: 9.3 out of 10