Anatomia NOR: Darkthrone V (of IX)

 

    

SWITCH TO POLISH

TRANSITION ERA – TURNING POINT
2002-2006

10.Hate Them (2003) Running time: 38:47, 7 tracks A magnificent return to form. Something must have changed within their minds, as everything went in a different direction than expected. Initially, this album wasn't appreciated at all, with many critics claiming that the band had once again failed. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the opening track still bears resemblance to its predecessor, a lot more happens afterward. First of all, the proper atmosphere has returned. The band sounds pissed off again. Secondly, we finally hear that we're dealing with veterans who know what they're doing. Until now, the group seemed to be constantly trying to prove something. This time, they've simply left the ashes behind, because it's clear we're dealing with a legend. This can be heard in several tracks that pack a punch, but it's most evident in two tracks that, incidentally, can be considered among the band's best compositions, alongside "Slotted i det fjerne": "Fucked Up and Ready to Die" and "Divided We Stand." I pondered for a while what might be the reason I liked this album so much, until I started noticing the album's skillful use of Death and Thrash elements. Massive and brilliant guitars create a wall of sound, making the music more engaging. Lyric-wise, it's clear that the band was exorcising themselves and the criticism aimed at them, and that they were a bit fed up with the scene and everything associated with their own cult. Regardless, there's something bitter about the Black Metal legends (not just Darkthrone) distancing themselves from their legacy over time, while Death Metal legends, who abandoned the genre (like Paradise Lost) were not only unashamed of their past, but were also rediscovering it and undergoing a renaissance, something that seemed impossible at this stage of their careers. The "Hate Them"/"Sardonic Wrath" transition (i.e., 2003/2004) was also the time when I personally began to discover Black and Death metal, and I remember that at that time, there was still a negative label associated with Darkthrone and the prevailing opinion that they would never record anything notable, and they were treated as just another legend who had gone to hell. History, as it turned out, had completely different plans.

11.Sardonic Wrath (2004) Running time: 34:23, 9 tracks The madness continues. The shortest album in band's history. Barely 34 minutues. This is the album where Darkthrone reminded everyone, who they are. With this album, they silenced their critics. Funnily enough, it was just a teaser of what was about to come. The album opens with an intro, something the band has never done before, and which can be a bit irritating, because, as I mentioned earlier, the album is definitely too short and should have been five minutes longer. There are also some very strange titles like "Checkmate Jesus," "Man tenker sitt" (:One Concludes Internally"), and "Straightening Sharks in Heaven" (?). Gorgoroth and Marduk had already gone wild with titles, but Darkthrone still surpasses them. Nevertheless, aside from being one of my favorite albums by the band, which made the name "Darkthrone" more than apt, and which also is the reason why I even write this rant, it's the last time we're dealing with a truly Black Metal album in band's discography. Okay, both this and the previous album already had some Hard Rock elements, but they're not really that noticeable, and certainly not to the extent of what they would later become. In retrospect, most people have a lot of fondness for this album, and rightfully so. It's a very strong material, but I'm glad that the band did not repeat it. Yup.

12.The Cult is Alive (2006) Running time: 38:52, 10 tracks At this point, the band had already decided there was no reason at "keeping it real", and that not only they wanted to remind everyone who had raised the generation of fans and started the craze, but that they still got the cards. Darkthrone wasn't the only one who wanted to do something different. Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Marduk, Satyricon – each one of them, at some point, had a more artistic tendencies, and, get this, an anti-Black Metal, phase. What did Darkthrone do? They provoked people by returning to the roots of Metal in general. Their infamous NWOBHM – New Wave of Black Heavy Metal – was admittedly nothing like Saxon, Manowar, or Iron Maiden, and had much more in common with Motorhead / Amebix, but for the first time in a long run, one could hear the freedom and passion in their music, and maybe the first time it felt so authentic. Of course, it's worth mentioning that Impaled Nazarene preceded DT by almost a decade, but then again, Finnish scene was always a tad better, despite being on the sidelines. Returning to the topic at hand, this album was once again unlucky in a way that, while game-changing in its own right, it was stuck between the two superior albums that were simply more memorable. Had this been Darkthrone's last scream, it would likely have earned an essay. However, since the band continued to evolve, it's something of a forgotten spot.

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