Zule's Entirely Objective Review of Darkthrone

You may disregard all other retrospectives and reviews... this is the only document worth consulting.

This will not follow the “Traditional” (in terms of Youtube) retrospective format. I will go over the best and worst studio albums of the discography, in addition to Darkthrone’s most over/under-rated pieces. After all, that’s really what people care about.

Before we get into the heart of the retrospective, a quick rundown…

First, The “Not Darkthrone” tier was reserved for albums that I do not believe are representative of Darkthrone’s aesthetic or sound. The tier does not reflect quality or whether I like/dislike the album. When I was building the list in my mind, I did not feel like certain records fit neatly into any categorization alongside albums like Under A Funeral Moon, Panzerfaust, or Eternal Hails… I remember acknowledging to a close friend that I wish The Underground Resistance, in particular, had been released under a name other than Darkthrone. It’s not Darkthrone… I really like a couple of these records. But I do not believe it is a fair or analogous comparison to make. 

Second, a quick explanation of the “A” tier. If A Blaze In The Northern Sky was a three-track EP (or mini-album) with only the songs “Kathaarian Life Code,” “In The Shadow Of The Horns,” and “Blaze In The Northern Sky” on it… It would easily be Darkthrone’s best release. As it exists however, there is a ton of proto-black Swedish death metal on Blaze… Remnants of the band Darkthrone was originally. While it remains an essential black metal release, it lacks the clarity and focus of the records that would follow. This is also why I kicked Goatlord into A-tier. Apart from being an impressive and ambitious album, Goatlord and Blaze In The Northern Sky share a lot of DNA. There are a ton of riffs on Goatlord that would end up on Blaze… and Under A Funeral Moon. Also, the fact Darkthrone opted to release the album in ‘96 with new vocal tracks sets it apart from Soulside Journey. Aesthetically, Goatlord and Soulside Journey have almost nothing in common. Soulside Journey is the last gasp of a Darkthrone that was not meant to exist. Goatlord was a hangover from Darkthrone’s death metal era, in addition to their early transition towards the high art Darkthrone would produce in the 90’s. 

Now, without further delay…

• What is Darkthrone’s best album? 

Transylvanian Hunger is, without a doubt, Darkthrone’s best album. It is the art of black metal distilled into a perfect album experience. No question that this is Darkthrone’s greatest contribution to the genre. 

• Why?

Transylvanian Hunger is a conceptual masterpiece, demonstrating Darkthrone’s ability to create a dense atmosphere in addition to showing off their mastery of black metal composition. The album arose organically from a single riff that would become the main hook on Transylvanian Hunger’s title track. Potentially as a result, nothing about the experience feels incidental or superficial, which is incredibly important when putting together such a minimalistic piece. Transylvanian Hunger is an album that demands a lot from its listener while giving very little initially. It is an album that lends itself to a particular condition and mindset, in addition to requiring (more-or-less) that the listener own a physical copy. Do not stream Transylvanian Hunger, or pick through it a song at a time. Commit to run through the entire record in one sitting. In my opinion, there is no other way to listen to Transylvanian Hunger. Dig into the song titles and lyrics… Try to see what Darkthrone is trying to do with all the components of this performance. Transylvanian Hunger is black metal in the purest sense because it presents us with this ultimatum. This is why the record is so good. It is a composite experience, uniting all the components of black metal art into a masterfully-executed piece. 

• What is Darkthrone’s worst album? 

There are no bad Darkthrone albums. While there are better and worse albums, it is remarkable how consistent Darkthrone has been over the span of thirty-six years. 

Now, I have two answers to this… F.O.A.D. and Arctic Thunder.

(For the record, I am listening to F.O.A.D. as I type this)

 F.O.A.D. because it does not feel like black metal, or Darkthrone. 

Arctic Thunder, because it feels like Darkthrone warming up before they play songs from a vastly superior album. 

• Why? 

F.O.A.D. is a bizarre, disjointed experience. In this case, its position on the tier list above is reflective of its overall quality. I can get into what Darkthrone is doing on some of the other albums from the “crust” era… But this is a confused delivery from a band that has demonstrated an incredible ability to execute focus and vision across several decades. Despite claims from the band that this is their “songwriting” era, the tracks on F.O.A.D. are honed in on a punk attitude of quick riff-centered delivery. While this is the followup to The Cult Is Alive, Darkthrone took a few steps back with F.O.A.D. I do not love The Cult Is Alive, but it is difficult to deny Cult… is a focused record that has purpose in its execution. F.O.A.D. is  Darkthrone trying to exist in two worlds simultaneously. The album strips down classic Darkthrone black metal riffs to make them sound more “punk,” but the result are these prosaic riffs backed by ridiculous vocals… There’s practically no momentum or energy on any of these tracks. Is Darkthrone trying to alienate fans with this release? It is possible… and it is something we probably deserve. I do not believe the title of the album is coincidental…  

Consequently, Arctic Thunder marks Darkthrone’s return to “pure” black metal after ten years of experimenting with their sound. Ten years is a long time. To restate the obvious, there are no bad Darkthrone albums. But, Arctic Thunder makes my “bottom two” on account of how uninspired and utterly forgettable this record is. Arctic Thunder is unmistakably Darkthrone, following the classic formula of seven-to-eight alternating fast and slow tracks with an overall runtime of 40-ish minutes… But the execution here leaves much to be desired. The production comes across well, better than most of the “crust” era albums in my opinion… but the songwriting falls flat. There’s no depth to the art here. The music feels mechanical and breathless. There are glimmers of a great album hiding under the surface, a gritty black metal tone poem about a long hiking journey or something… There are glimpses of this on the second half of the record, a hero’s journey through harsh winter landscapes… That stupid song off Dark Thrones And Black Flags, “Hiking Metal Punks,” could have been drawn out into an actual fully-realized piece of art in the vein of Transylvanian Hunger… I guess it’s silly to imagine Darkthrone creating another Transylvanian Hunger… This is not a bad album, just utterly forgettable in the grand scheme of Darkthrone. We all know the adage that there’s nothing worse than mediocrity. In terms of Darkthrone, Arctic Thunder is a painfully mediocre album…

• What is the most underrated Darkthrone studio album?

Sardonic Wrath. I totally believe Sardonic Wrath is the best post-Panzerfaust “pure” black metal record. I knew I liked Sardonic Wrath, but my most recent run through the album surprised me. The delivery on this record is fantastic, helped by the loud, punchy Panzerfaust-esque production. Despite coming hot on the heels of what I see as some of Darkthrone’s worst black metal albums, Sardonic Wrath feels spontaneous and effortlessly heavy. In the album commentary, Fenriz mentions that he believes this record has many of the best black metal riffs he has ever composed. I do not believe these riffs are peak Darkthrone, but “Sjakk Matt Jesu Krist” is a great song that blows the entire “crust” era out of the water with the main riff alone. There is no grand artistic vision or depth here, but it’s undeniably Darkthrone. Sardonic Wrath is the ultimate example of function over form. It is a departure from the high art of Darkthrone’s initial black metal releases, (which is why it rests squarely in B-tier) but the music here is solid. Total Death was the other record vying for the title of “most underrated.” Sardonic Wrath won on account of how straight-to-the-point this record is. I like Total Death a lot, but compared to Sardonic Wrath, the riffs and songwriting lack intensity and clarity. There’s a simple ferocity here that is overlooked. Darkthrone rediscovered something on Sardonic Wrath that I do not believe has been heard since. 

• What is a Darkthrone album you think is overrated? 

Out of spite, I was originally going to exclude this album from the retrospective entirely… but here we are. 

Soulside Journey is, by far, the most overrated Darkthrone album. Soulside Journey earned this title on account of how many people (IRL and online) have told me it is Darkthrone’s best album. In my opinion, Soulside Journey is barely a Darkthrone record. The personnel, the production, the songwriting, and the artistic process would all completely change immediately following its release. At best, Darkthrone’s debut is a solid (8/10) death metal offering bolstered by the popularity of the Swedish metal scene at the time. There is nothing super unique, exciting, or interesting about Soulside Journey. It is, by a wide margin, the most accessible and least-challenging album in Darkthrone’s discography. As a result those that claim that Soulside Journey is a great Darkthrone record, simply do not like black metal or Darkthrone. There’s nothing wrong with not liking black metal or Darkthrone either. I am only pointing out what I believe to be reality. Soulside Journey is not a bad record. However, when one stacks Darkthrone’s debut against one of the most iconic metal records of all time, A Blaze In The Northern Sky, there’s simply no comparison. The hype surrounding Soulside Journey is something I will never understand…

Hail The Underground…