Darkthrone - The Unholy Trilogy
Country: π³π΄
Genre: Black Metal
Release Date:
A Blaze In The Northern Sky - 26th February 1992
Under A Funeral Moon - 24th June 1993
Transilvanian Hunger - 17th February 1994
Record Label(s): Peaceville
A Blaze In The Northern Sky - 26th February 1992
Under A Funeral Moon - 24th June 1993
Transilvanian Hunger - 17th February 1994
Record Label(s): Peaceville
Highest Chart Position: N/A
Band Members:
1992:
Nocturno Culto – lead guitar, vocals
Zephyrous – rhythm guitar
Fenriz – drums, backing vocals
Dag Nilsen - bass
1993:
Nocturno Culto – lead guitar, vocals
Zephyrous – rhythm guitar
Fenriz – drums, backing vocals
1994:
Nocturno Culto – vocals
Fenriz – guitar, bass guitar, drums, lyrics (tracks 1-4)
Varg Vikernes - lyrics (tracks 5-8)
1992:
Nocturno Culto – lead guitar, vocals
Zephyrous – rhythm guitar
Fenriz – drums, backing vocals
Dag Nilsen - bass
1993:
Nocturno Culto – lead guitar, vocals
Zephyrous – rhythm guitar
Fenriz – drums, backing vocals
1994:
Nocturno Culto – vocals
Fenriz – guitar, bass guitar, drums, lyrics (tracks 1-4)
Varg Vikernes - lyrics (tracks 5-8)
Review
Rating (Out of 5π): πππππ
Favourite Track(s): Kathaarian Life Code, In The Shadow Of The Horns, Unholy Black Metal, Under A Funeral Moon, Skald Au Satans Sol, Slottet I Det Fjerne, As Flittermice As Satan Spys
With the mighty Darkthrone returning with new album Old Star coming out on the 31st May this year (you can check out my review for The Hardship Of The Scots). I thought I'd look back on the three albums that have defined their career and cemented their place as black metal legends. The "Unholy Trilogy" is a brutal ride through the ice cold depths of Norway and a truly ferocious onslaught of evil and darkness.
Whilst Darkthrone's history isn't as tumultuous as fellow black metal peers Mayhem, the band are part of that historic and controversial Norwegian wave of black metal. As you can see Varg Vikernes makes another appearance, and this wasn't uncommon as many of the early Norwegian black metal bands new each other and contributed to each other's music. Despite this Darkthrone remained a will unto themselves, with a pure passion for listening to and writing music. Which something I can definitely relate to myself, as a lot of my time is consumed by listening to and writing music. These albums have been very influential on Vanaheimr's music, compositionally but more so on the production, as this was where I truly fell in love with that distorted tape sound.
A Blaze In A Northern Sky
"Face of the goat in the mirror
We've become a race of the cursed seeds
I entered the soul of the snake
We are a blaze in the northern sky" - Kathaarian Life Code (Darkthrone, 1992)
The moment anyone hears that intro and those words you know you're in for something the likes you have never heard before. An album the combines thrash, doom, punk, fragments of death metal and something more evil entirely was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. A Blaze in the Northern Sky was recorded during August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn; the same studio where Mayhem recorded their influential Deathcrush EP. According to Fenriz, the album was ""rushed" and that many of the songs have "death metal guitar riffs" played in a "black metal style"." (Fenriz, 2003). Despite this, the album is hailed as a classic within the black metal genre, and dubbed the first instalment of the "Unholy Trilogy". The album is also famously dedicated to Mayhem's Euronymous, with "all the releases of A Blaze in the Northern Sky have a note saying "This album is eternally dedicated to the king of death/black metal Euronymous."" (Encyclopaedia Metallum, 2019).
From a songwriting perspective, A Blaze In The Northern Sky is just riff upon riff upon riff. The relentless pace of this album is much like that of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas but it is a complete entity within itself. For me Darkthrone have always taken what Mayhem had one step further. Although there are sections of contrasting tempo in each song, the album is ultimately a one way ticket on a rocket train to hell. The one song that won my heart over to black metal is on this album, In The Shadow Of The Horns will always be the standout song for me on this one. It's heavy in the most old school way, the riff is crushing and the drums support it with a relentless and devastating rhythm. This song is the main inspiration behind Vanaheimr's Purgatory, as I wanted to write something a bit slower for As Above, So Below to contrast the faster sections and I went to the one place that I knew would inspire this song.
One thing that I love about this album is it broke the mould of perfect production for me. The raw intensity coursing through its veins were enlightening and engaging to me. This was the first true black metal album I sat and listened to from start to finish. The haunting contribution to metal and to the Norwegian music scene that this album made alongside Mayhem's Deathcrush/De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Burzum's Det Som Engang Var put Norway's metal scene very much on the map. For me the album inspires independence and a big fuck you to everyone who says you have to write music in a certain way. One thing that was apparent with this album (and the next two) is that I can't write about it without referencing Mayhem or Burzum at some point, and given the fact that I do not support their ideologies it is unfortunate that I have to talk about them in significant volume whilst discussing Darkthrone.
With the mighty Darkthrone returning with new album Old Star coming out on the 31st May this year (you can check out my review for The Hardship Of The Scots). I thought I'd look back on the three albums that have defined their career and cemented their place as black metal legends. The "Unholy Trilogy" is a brutal ride through the ice cold depths of Norway and a truly ferocious onslaught of evil and darkness.
Whilst Darkthrone's history isn't as tumultuous as fellow black metal peers Mayhem, the band are part of that historic and controversial Norwegian wave of black metal. As you can see Varg Vikernes makes another appearance, and this wasn't uncommon as many of the early Norwegian black metal bands new each other and contributed to each other's music. Despite this Darkthrone remained a will unto themselves, with a pure passion for listening to and writing music. Which something I can definitely relate to myself, as a lot of my time is consumed by listening to and writing music. These albums have been very influential on Vanaheimr's music, compositionally but more so on the production, as this was where I truly fell in love with that distorted tape sound.
A Blaze In A Northern Sky
"Face of the goat in the mirror
We've become a race of the cursed seeds
I entered the soul of the snake
We are a blaze in the northern sky" - Kathaarian Life Code (Darkthrone, 1992)
The moment anyone hears that intro and those words you know you're in for something the likes you have never heard before. An album the combines thrash, doom, punk, fragments of death metal and something more evil entirely was unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. A Blaze in the Northern Sky was recorded during August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn; the same studio where Mayhem recorded their influential Deathcrush EP. According to Fenriz, the album was ""rushed" and that many of the songs have "death metal guitar riffs" played in a "black metal style"." (Fenriz, 2003). Despite this, the album is hailed as a classic within the black metal genre, and dubbed the first instalment of the "Unholy Trilogy". The album is also famously dedicated to Mayhem's Euronymous, with "all the releases of A Blaze in the Northern Sky have a note saying "This album is eternally dedicated to the king of death/black metal Euronymous."" (Encyclopaedia Metallum, 2019).
From a songwriting perspective, A Blaze In The Northern Sky is just riff upon riff upon riff. The relentless pace of this album is much like that of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas but it is a complete entity within itself. For me Darkthrone have always taken what Mayhem had one step further. Although there are sections of contrasting tempo in each song, the album is ultimately a one way ticket on a rocket train to hell. The one song that won my heart over to black metal is on this album, In The Shadow Of The Horns will always be the standout song for me on this one. It's heavy in the most old school way, the riff is crushing and the drums support it with a relentless and devastating rhythm. This song is the main inspiration behind Vanaheimr's Purgatory, as I wanted to write something a bit slower for As Above, So Below to contrast the faster sections and I went to the one place that I knew would inspire this song.
One thing that I love about this album is it broke the mould of perfect production for me. The raw intensity coursing through its veins were enlightening and engaging to me. This was the first true black metal album I sat and listened to from start to finish. The haunting contribution to metal and to the Norwegian music scene that this album made alongside Mayhem's Deathcrush/De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and Burzum's Det Som Engang Var put Norway's metal scene very much on the map. For me the album inspires independence and a big fuck you to everyone who says you have to write music in a certain way. One thing that was apparent with this album (and the next two) is that I can't write about it without referencing Mayhem or Burzum at some point, and given the fact that I do not support their ideologies it is unfortunate that I have to talk about them in significant volume whilst discussing Darkthrone.
Under A Funeral Moon
Unlike its predecessor Under A Funeral Moon is all out black metal from composition to production, ruthlessly taking no prisoners. "The record's songs—already shorter and more focused than those of its epic-filled predecessor—were absolutely buried under disfiguring cobwebs of fuzzy amp distortion that effectively made them sound and feel like third-generation cassette copies" (Rivadavia, 2012). This album certainly sounded more raw, cold and grim. Considering the band were transitioning from a more Swedish style death metal sound to pure black metal, Under A Funeral Moon is the conclusion of that transition. Nocturno Culto stated that "writing and recording of the album as the foundation for Darkthrone's later work" (Nocturno Culto, 2009).
Now fully embracing the "True Black Metal" sound, this album was just as revolutionary, influential and iconic as A Blaze In The Northern Sky. With guitar distortion closely resembling the sound of a chainsaw it stands out instantly, and "In terms of the style’s history, it’s June 1993 release (roughly a month before Euronymous was murdered) places it right in the middle of all the chaos occurring in the Norwegian scene at the time, but also at a critical time of musical development. Along with Immortal’s Pure Holocaust, Marduk’s Those of the Unlight and Rotting Christ’s Thy Mighty Contract, the album showed the style solidifying as an entity separate from death metal and what we now call “the first wave” of black metal in the 80's." (Andrew, 2017).
The rawness was unlike anything I had ever heard, (until I listened to Burzum that is). The lo-fi production quality adds this whole other layer of grimness to the music, which is what Darkthrone want to and did achieve. As a fairly new listener to black metal at the time this was a revelation to me at the time, I knew I wanted to make my music sound like that. Compared to Transilvanian Hunger, Under A Funeral Moon definitely has a lot more variation musically and still has some very small remnants of A Blaze In The Northern Sky tucked away in the small corners of its sonic space. I definitely found myself drawing on this album a lot for reference during the mixing stages of both Vanaheimr's EPs as it is quintessential black metal production.
Overall, the album is definitely more focused and essential black metal listening. Its an often underrated album as everyone usually discusses A Blaze In The Northern Sky and Transilvanian Hunger and completely glance over Under A Funeral Moon when discussing Darkthrone. As the second album in the "Unholy Trilogy" I could hear the musical progression from death metal to black metal. This album reinforced my love of the lo-fi and is one of my favourite Darkthrone albums.
Transilvanian Hunger
Infamously evil and controversial, when you think of Darkthrone you think of this album, with it's Scream-like album art and monstrously haunting songs. The album cover has similarities to Mayhem's Live In Leipzig in which Dead strikes a similar pose. Recorded on a 4-track recorder set up in Fenriz's bedroom (which was dubbed "Necrohell studios" by Fenriz and Nocturno) it certainly has a more DIY rawness to it, unlike Under A Funeral Moon which was recorded in a studio. Lyrics for four of the album's songs were written by Varg Vikernes of Burzum. The recording style built on the lo-fi sound foundations that Under A Funeral Moon had built a year previously and become the staple production process for raw black metal. With a plethora of satanic and evil imagery, the ending of the track As Flittermice as Satans Spys contains a backmasked message. Which, when played backwards, utters the phrase: "In the name of God, let the churches burn" (Fenriz, retrieved in 2012), although there is no evidence to suggest that Darkthrone were involved in the church burnings, they may well have been influenced by them.
The album had a few controversial issues, originally the back cover of the album had the phrase "Norsk Arisk Black Metal" (Norwegian Aryan Black Metal), the phrase was removed due to the backlash that it cause. The band were not done there though, releasing another controversial statement saying "We would like to state that Transilvanian Hunger stands beyond any criticism. If any man should attempt to criticize this LP, he should be thoroughly patronised for his obviously Jewish behavior" (Darkthrone, retrieved in 2012). While Peaceville stated it couldn't censor its artists the berated the sentiment that ultimately led to an apology from Darkthrone. On the next release, 1995's Panzerfaust, Darkthrone stated "Darkthrone is certainly not a Nazi band nor a political band. Those of you who still might think so, you can lick Mother Mary's asshole in eternity", more recently Fenriz regretted these statements and disowned them, describing them as "disgusting".
For me this album is everything that black metal is and what it embodies. Whilst the songwriting is similar to that of Under A Funeral Moon, there is a lot less variation (which is the only negative I have for the album) and is a relentless mayhem of blast beats from start to finish. The production is a bit more rough around the edges, how they managed to get a sound that was even more grim and cold than Under A Funeral Moon is truly amazing. I hear a lot of this album's compositional and production influence in bands like Archgoat, Behrit, Inquisition and whole host of others, categorically in the raw black metal sub-genre as it has that stereotypical "true black metal" sound.
Whilst I don't listen to this album as much as the previous two, it definitely stands out to me as a symbolic classic in the genre. Despite narrowly missing the path that Burzum's Varg Vikernes eventually went down later in his career, the controversy that surrounds the album and black metal in general makes you want to listen to it more in my opinion. As a result Transilvanian Hunger will always be discussed more for this very reason. As the final chapter in Darkthrone's "Unholy Trilogy" it completes the band's transition from death to black metal, with a devastating effect on metal music.
A Lasting Impression & Influence
The impact that these three albums would have on the metal world would be huge. Alongside Mayhem, Burzum, Immortal and Emperor, they would cement the black metal sound and distinguish itself as its own entity separate from death metal and the first wave of black metal. They certainly left a lasting impression on me as all three are in my heavy rotation, I'm addicted to the raw and powerful evil that is emitted from these albums. It can definitely be said that Darkthrone's influence can be heard all the way through the music I have written for Vanaheimr. If anything Darkthrone, alongside Bathory, they were the sparks that lit the touch paper when it came to taking Vanaheimr from an idea to reality. I think this is best demonstrated in Purgatory from my debut EP As Above, So Below (which you can listen to below). These albums are essential black metal listening and a part of metal history as whole, if you want to know what black metal is about and what it embodies, look no further than legends Darkthrone.
References
Darkthrone, (1992), Kathaarian Life Code, Genius Lyrics, https://genius.com/Darkthrone-kathaarian-life-code-lyrics
Fenriz, (2003), A Blaze in the Northern Sky (video interview)
Encyclopaedia Metallum, Darkthrone, (2019), A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Additional Notes, https://www.metal-archives.com/albums/Darkthrone/A_Blaze_in_the_Northern_Sky/612
Rivadavia, E., (2012), Under A Funeral Moon - Darkthrone, AllMusic, https://www.allmusic.com/album/under-a-funeral-moon-mw0000453961
Culto, N., (18th November 2009), Darkthrone – The Interview – Chapter 3: Under a Funeral Moon (from Preparing for War Boxset), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUCvwVROlxU
Andrew, J., (30th June 2017), Essential Black Metal Listening: Darkthrone Under A Funeral Moon, MetalInjection, https://metalinjection.net/black-metal-chronicles/black-metal-listening/darkthrone-under-a-funeral-moon
Fenriz, (retrieved in 2012), Bands » Peaceville, Peaceville Records, http://peaceville.com/bands/2194/
Darkthrone, (retrieved in 2012), MusicMight :: Artists :: Darkthrone, MusicMight
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