Darkthrone

Darkthrone was originally a death metal band known as Black Death in 1986. After recording several demos on cassette, the band draws the attention of the English label Peaceville Records, which signs them on the basis of a four album contract after listening to the demo Cromlech. Darkthrone recorded his first album Soulside Journey in 1991. The name of Darkthrone already marks their attachment to Celtic Frost, inspired by the song Jewel Throne mixed on behalf of a Danish zine, Blackthorn, written by the group Desexult. The line-up consists of Nocturno Culto (chant/guitar), Zephyrous (guitar), Dag Nielsen (bass) and Fenriz aka Hank Amarillo (battery). The album is in line with what can then be expected in terms of death metal, including a rather clear production and progressive structures, as well as technical parts. But all this will soon change.
The growing rise of the black metal scene in Norway makes a strong impression on the band that hastened to change its musical approach, adopting the bodiespaints and everything that follows. This is not the taste of Dag Nielsen, devoted to death metal, who leaves the band (although he plays bass as a session musician on the next album). Legend often considers A Blaze In The Northern Sky as the first real Darkthrone album. Released in 1992, this album strongly inspired by the pioneers Bathory and Celtic Frost is still the object of the cult of many black metal lovers. Totally committed to this direction, the band quickly turned to a new album entitled Under A Funeral Moon . Released in 1993, Under A Funeral Moon pushes the nail with a deliberately low-fi production and a immediately recognizable craspec guitar sound, just like Nocturno Culto's cavernous timbre. Darkthrone continued in 1994 with the remarkable Transilvanian Hunger, an album acclaimed by all black metal fans on the planet. Many consider it the best of the band's career, quintessence of Darkthrone sound, while the band itself gives it a special place, especially because of riffs more melodic than usual. This album is marked by the departure of Zephyrous from the band (although some think it happened after Panzerfaust , even before Transilvanian Hunger ), which leaves Nocturno Culto largely busy, with singing, bass and guitar parts, while Fenriz obviously retains the drums.
The contract with Peacevile ends with this album, and this in controversy. Indeed, the group, more provocative than actually engaged on this front, thought it was good to place two quotes on the cover and booklet: "We would like to state that Transilvanian Hunger stands beyond any criticism. If any man should anticipate to criticize this LP, he should be thoroughly sponsored for his obviously Jewish behavior., as well as " Norsk Arysk Blak Metal " changed since most consensual and authentic expression " True Norwegian Black Metal". For the release of Panzerfaust in 1995, Darkthrone signed with Moonfog Productions label, directed by Satyr de Satyricon. This album, a tribute confessed to Celtic Frost, also takes care to clarify the real convictions of the band: "Darkthrone is definitely not a Nazi-band nor a political band, that of you who still might think so, you can lick Mother Mary's asshole in etherity". It should be noted that Varg Vikernes (Burzum ) contributes to the lyrics of the two above-mentioned albums. Other musicians (including Ihsahn de Emperor , and Garm de Ulver / ex-Arcturus / ex- Borknagar ) will also contribute to Total Death in 1996. That same year, another album was released entitled Goatlord, which has a unique interest in compositions from Soulside Journey sessions to which Fenriz and Satyr added some songs.
The two members of Darkthrone moved a little away from the band the following years. Nocturno Culto plays in particular the luxury guests on Satyricon's album, Nemesis Divina and the subsequent tour in 1996/97, under the name of Kveldulv. In 1999, Fenriz was also to record an album with Eibon , a supergroup composed of Satyr, Killjoy de Necrophagia , Maniac de Mayhem and Phil Anselmo de Pantera , but the lack of time did not allow the project to really succeed, Maniac leaving Eibon in 2000.
Meanwhile Darkthrone had returned to business in 1999 with Ravishing Grimness increasingly under the influence of Celtic Frost. The following albums, Plaguewielder (2000) as well as Hate Them (2003) in the traditional necro vein, are of lower quality than the band's first efforts. Sardonic Wrath in 2004 marks a form of renewal for Darkthrone in a neighbouring register of Bathory's first albums. The band returned to Peaceville in 2005 and created its own Tyrant Syndicate Productions label, on which all their new productions (Peaceville/Snapper and distribution) are now released. Prior to the ep Too Old Too Cold (and its surprising reprise of Siouxie&The Banshees), The Cult Is Alive was released in 2006 and has proved to be the logical continuation of Sardonic Wrath , further accentuating the punk pulse now present in the duo's music. Since then, this evolution continues with the new Nordic records with F.O.A.D. and NOWBHM in 2007, Dark Thrones And Black Flags in 2008 and Circle The Wagons in 2010. In 2013 Norwegians resurface with the very good The Underground Resistance always in a Black / Thrash mind tinted by Heavy. Arctic Thunder (2016) marks a return more Black Metal before a new musical arc more influenced by Doom Metal tempos: Old Star, Eternal Hails..... , Astral Fortress and It Beckons Us All..... fit into this new stylistic cycle. It should also be noted that Fenriz appeared as a bassist within DHG in the past (94-95), and is the initiator of typical norsk projects such as Isengard and Storm .