Darkthrone
Pre-Historic Metal
Peaceville
Norwegian stoicism is a force to be reckoned with and a blunt one at that. Darkthroneβs total refusal to play industry games has never ever been compromised, and it’s one of the many reasons why we love them so much. This is all, despite the fact that their PR will probably put a restraining order on us if we ask them one more time to get an interview with Fenriz or Nocturno Culto. The result of this total dedication to stubbornness is that over three decades later Darkthrone can make one of their best albums in over a decade! The last time we were banging our heads this hard on a bus full of people was 2013βs βThe Underground Resistanceβ, and whilst the likes of βArctic Thunderβ and βEternal Hailsβ had plenty to rattle our cage, they didn’t shake hands with mega-riff Valhalla quite this latest opus. If you know Darkthrone, you’ll know the production style, and if it’s not your thing, this won’t change your mind. However, for us diehard fans, it’s everything we wished for. Tracks like βSiberian Thawβ are a masterclass in stripping metal to its bones and still managing to trip out in the midsection with minimal clutter and maximum space. βThe Dry Wells Of Hellβ employs galloping riffs and a quick screech of King Diamond-esque theatre that put a broad smile on our face, and the fantastically titled βThey Found One Of My Gravesβ commences this grizzled riff fest in fine style. Even after all these years we adore the fact that Darkthrone will do exactly as they damn well please and you’re continually wondering whether or not they’re taking the piss out of metal or not sometimes (and if they are then metal shouldn’t be such an easy target sometimes) The sleeve image is an obvious case in hand, and what is in Fenrizβs hand appears to be a novelty trident, whilst he pulls the black metal standard, βgrapefruit grip,β with the other. Yes, the trve kvlt black metal purists will hate this fact entirely, but ‘Pre-Historic Metal’ is light years better than the vast number of albums by elite corpse-painted miserablists available currently, and it’s also bloody good fun!
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Reviewed By George Miller