Anatomia NOR: Darkthrone II (of IX)

 

  

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I should mention right away that while the reviews are condensed, they are not without details. A lot of the text was written in 2015-2018.

 

PREHISTORY – DEATH METAL
1988-1991  

 

O.Sempiternal Past (2011) Running time: 71:37, 17 tracks A compilation of all demo tapes, a TV appearance, a live gig in Denmark, everything from 1988-1989, excluding the Black Death period from 1987. This roughly represents a rather decent set, which actually contains the humble beginnings of the band. Surprisingly, it sounds much more in the style that Darkthrone is known for nowadays, yet it is largely Death Metal. Black, satanic, and dark, but still within the Swedish style. Many might also wonder how the band's fate would have turned out if not for Euronymous, but in my opinion, sooner or later the band would have undoubtedly tried to return to the 80s roots and make something much harsher than what the label expected from them. The material's significance itself is more symbolic than musical, as it is too amateurish to be fairly evaluated. For some, it will be a mega cult, for others, a tiresome noise. I lean more toward the latter option, which doesn’t change the fact that owning such a gem is certainly cool.

1.Soulside Journey (1991) Running time: 41:07, 11 tracks What may be surprising to some people is the while I prefer Death Metal overall, and certainly much more than Black Metal, I still consider this album to be the weakest in Darkthrone's discography. The production is artificial and sterile (it is cold, though), the riffs are boring and monotonous, there’s a lack of proper atmosphere, and there’s excessive copying of the Swedish style. The cover is also a bit odd and completely out of place within what the band is known for. This raises the question about how far the label interfered with their work, because it’s hard to deny, especially in the context of their later achievements, that the overall result probably isn’t exactly what the band themselves wanted to create. This is also one of two albums where Darkthrone consisted of four members. At that time, Fenriz used the pseudonym Hank Amarillo, and back then there was some sense of humor at this stage in the band's history. If I were to make a summary, unlike other bands that transitioned from DM to BM, like Marduk or Immortal, I strongly believe that the change in style benefited Darkthrone. But as we all know, everything was about to change drastically... NEXT: UNHOLY TRILOGY