Anatomia NOR: Darkthrone VI (of IX)

 

     

SWITCH TO POLISH

THIRD ERA – BLACK ‘N’ ROLL
2007-2010

 

13.F.O.A.D. (2007) Running time: 40:18, 9 tracks And so it began. The band itself was convinced they were playing Speed Metal, but it sounded more like Crust Punk, albeit unintentionally. This period is characterized by, among other things, Darkthrone adopting a mascot: Mr. Necro (!) on the covers, who on each album from this so-called "punk" era featured a patch of whatever band Fenriz was listening to at the time on his clothes. In this particular case, Deathhammer is the featured artist. No more being kvlt; the booklet features photos from a mountain trip. Fenriz drinks a beer, sets up a tent, and we get many shots of the beauty of Norwegian nature. For the first time, Fenriz not only details the inspirations for each song, but also offers recommendations for albums he liked at the time (each of the aforementioned bands later went on to have a successful career). He also gradually took over the vocals. While the crisis period was dominated by Nocturno Culto, the renaissance and rediscovery of his passion for playing, came under Fenriz's leadership. And since Fenriz appears on vocals, we can expect a vibe straight outta Isengard. So, there's some singing and high falsettos. Stylistically, there are a lot of different influences, but everything is somehow centered around the '80s.

14.Darkthrones and Black Flags (2008) Running time: 38:58, 10 tracks Na okładce tym razem propsowany jest Nocturnal. Wiele osób też się kłóci, która płyta lepiej siada, ta, czy poprzednia. Ja się bardziej skłaniam ku F.O.A.D. Jedyne do czego mógłbym się doczepić to to, że są tutaj wyjątkowo słabe wokale Nocturno Culto, ponieważ nie dają one rady tak bardzo jak w przeszłości i to jest chyba jedyny mankament tej płyty.  Part II, which was written relatively quickly. I won't deny that I don't fully understand this album, even though it has a fantastic opening track. But there's no point in dwelling on the details here, as we get a fairly full range of different atmospheres, with more Punk this time.  On this album, Nocturnal is praised this time. Many people also argue about which album is better, this one or the previous one. I'm more inclined to favor F.O.A.D. The only thing that kinda suck are Nocturno Culto's vocals, which are exceptionally weak here, as they don't hold up as well as they did in the past, and that's probably the only drawback of this album. 15.Circle the Wagons (2010) Running time: 41:01, 9 tracks An epilogue to Darkthrone's renaissance. This time, they're discreetly promoting Teitanblood (which I personally value quite highly). This album, in a sense, marks the turning point of two periods for the band: the end of their fascination with punk, the end of fan trolling (for the last time, Fenriz's recommendations, and the mocking photos poking fun at kvlt black metal), and the humble beginning of an era of epic playing. There's no shortage of flair, and the passion seems to be increasing. Both the title & the closing track are among my favorites in DT's history. And that's pretty much all I wanted to say about this album. It's definitely one of the highlights of the band's extensive discography. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. NEXT: Epic!