search
more stories
 

Darkthrone - Dark Thrones and Black Flags

print   email   RSS
 October 22 2008 at 07:22:33 AM



Redux. Where the mighty have fallen and slowly biodegraded, Darkthrone has drifted outside of any realm that adheres to physical laws. Fenriz and Noctourno Culto have made undeniably brilliant records in the past; they’ve made marginal records, and they’ve made some records that have caused their untouchable status of True Fucking Norwegian Black Metal (TFNBM) to crack and crumble and regenerate in alarming and hilarious new forms of crust and punk and not-so zippy jokes that serve more to irritate those concerned with “staying in character” and being simply all “kvlt.” Drummer, vocalist, and standup comedic force Fenriz knows this and he’s practically weaponized his ability to act the dipshit and still manage to have folks thumping their chests and ogling necklaces to see who the fuck’s got the most buffalo teeth.

Darkthrone’s break with TFNBM resulted in a strange union of thump punk and frothing crust, their rhythms empowered with equal amounts of G.B.H. and Broken Bones, their guitar and delivery something ripped right from G.I.S.M.’s playbook. In the gloaming of every offering since 2005’s Sardonic Wrath, Fenriz ambled out into the snow, drained some Ringnes tallboys and waxed nostalgic re: TFNBM, snuff, Uriah Heep, etc.—most sealed in time via YouTube. Everyone forgave and forget, even those (me included) that cherished the infantile fits that passed for songs on the embarrassingly enjoyable The Cult Is Alive. Of course, Fenriz and Noctourno are making music for the sake of making music; writing songs that riff on old favorites and rocking them if and only because they love them: what they sound and feel like; what they “mean” in a larger context, and—possibly—how they can be received on so many different levels. The duo is as good at spinning semiotic plates as it is bringing its obsessions to fruition in as dunderheaded ways as placing flaming bags of shit at potential listeners’ feet. Folks interested in questioning the impetus behind the band’s transformation would do better to look at said transformation in the larger context of the genre it often religiously reifies and confrontationally rails against. Get back to me on that mental exercise…

So came F.O.A.D.—the Fuck Off & Die response to chides and adulation that came years earlier, as most of the folks that genuflected to Darkthrone to begin with did so for their early efforts which are now inextricably bound to the Norwegian soap opera starring Varg, Dead, and Euronymous. Perhaps a reaction to the whole bloated shitpit of it all, F.O.A.D. was pure tongue and cheek parody, riddled with lyrical gook that was probably lifted straight from school house desks and guitar/drum romps not far from the slow pogo that is Blitzkrieg Pop. “Sex with Satan the loudest song / Sounds like a hammer from hell / Pyrokinesis and take this torch / sounds fill me with no remorse,” goes “Canadian Metal,” a silly, not-so gritty oompah to nowhere that encapsulated the rest of the music on F.O.A.D. so well, like the majority of beer-soaked weekend practice sessions—some times bringing a modicum of white-knuckled fury, but mostly falling flat in its tedious cuteness. There were a billion in-jokes and references there that the most loathsome of record collector scum would get and rouse their lesser counterparts for. Dennis Dread’s exceptional cover art was to be admired, but its necrotic tattoo couldn’t ease the shit smell wafting from the vinyl.

Unhappy days are here again. The abysmal Dark Thrones & Black Flags takes a page from American crass consumerism, hawking single ware in multiple formats with little-to-no change in content. Herr Dread is a return offender, wrapping the release in a sort of Savage Sword of Putrefaction. His nib ‘n’ ink is the apex of this artifact, which steadfastly degenerates into a hodgepodge of limp ad hoc comp, with Fenriz and Noctourno ostensibly taking turns at “songcraft,” strings and skins with wildly differing results. The tone is no different from a Hostel’s rec room full of Krauts eyeing Young Ones reruns whilst pulling tubes and pounding suds, and the music rarely aspires to anything beyond that fratty realm. I’m all for R&R, but by the time “Witch Ghetto” cheerleads from the woofs and tweets, self-bludgeoning seems a more appropriate option.

[Stewart Voegtlin]
Darkthrone
Dark Thrones & Black Flags
Peaceville
http://darkthrone.no/news/index.php
type: reviews    keywords: black metal, lhp019, dread,   

Comments (21)

  • 17 comments
    Helm
    11:57 AM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    I generally agree with your take. I only listened to this once and out of some morbid curiosity most of all because I am intimately familiar with the old Heavy Metal that this and the last record riffs (sorry) and I felt like being annoyed for 40 minutes. I was.

    However the most irritating thing about the recent Darkthrone records is how norwegian metal enthusiasts get behind them just to appear forward thinking and 'in on the joke' at the same time. As if if you laughed involuntarily at a bad joke then obviously those that didn't are stuck up and no fun, no core, no mosh.
  • 108 comments
    jniff
    12:52 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    Guess I'm the odd-man out on this one.

    Without a doubt, their first five albums rule supreme, IMO. I'll even go as far as to say that 'Blaze' is one of the best BM albums - EVER. The albums that followed these classics... blah. Sure, some had a few alright songs, but nothing compared to their past glory.

    I still remember the day I picked up 'Blaze.' A local record store had a promo copy. I was 16, and had to borrow my folks' car. It blew me away, and coaxed me further down the LHP. No turning back.

    After repeated listens, I'll stand by my call that this is an enjoyable record. I was actually surprised to arrive at this conclusion, as I didn't care much for FOAD.

    TFNBM this is not. Long gone is the mystery that started to fade with 'Total Death,' and quickly accelerated with the passing years.

    IMO, the closest comparison to who they are today would be a drunken, sloppy, punked-up marriage of Venom and Witchfinder General gone necro.

    WG had some great licks, but it was hard to take them seriously, given their often rudimentary lyrics. While bands such as early Trouble and Nemesis/Candlemass also had licks, they added atmosphere, and left any humor at the practice space. Maybe that's why I like the latter two better.

    Sometimes, I selfishly wish Darkthrone had stopped after 'Panzerfaust' and disappeared from the radar, but they didn't. I could say the same about Bathory and Celtic Frost.

    I've often thought that the more extreme a band, the shorter the (healthy) lifespan; especially in metal.

    I digress...

    Thanks for the review, though. Keep 'em coming.

    I would like to posit a question. What are some metal bands that you think have managed to keep the flame alive for 10+ years? Not saying Darkthrone has....





  • 374 comments
    stew_vee
    1:04 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    I'd rather - and do - listen to Venom and Witchfinder General. At least they're proudly blatant knuckleheads. 'Throne loves those "mixed messages." They weren't around when I was 16; I was listening to Slayer, Voivod, and C.O.C. then. Slayer's probably the only band that's managed to keep the "flame alive for 10+ years," but that's only in vivo. They haven't released a great record since South of Heaven.
  • 17 comments
    Helm
    2:57 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    Celtic Frost's last album was probably their best I think. Most focused conceptually and with the fitting music for the vision. They attempted a different growing up of black metal that I'm afraid not a lot of fans picked up on.

    Great bands that kept the quality up for 10 years or more? Hm. Fates Warning. Manilla Road. Brocas Helm. You are right to see a pattern there.

    Furthermore, In The Woods... cut it pretty close with no dud releases from the demo in 1993 to the live album in 2003.

    Oh you know who else? Coroner! 1986 to 1996 (if you count the best-of that had a few new songs) not a bad anything in there.
  • 7 comments
    AVERSIONLINE
    5:32 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    Only listened to it once so far, but I actually really like this record. Certainly more than the last one. I don't see what the big deal is. It's fun stuff, fuck it.
  • 17 comments
    Helm
    7:17 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    You used to run a blog reviewing black metal. Was how fun the stuff was there a big part of whether you'd give it your recommendation or not?
  • 36 comments
    ex.person
    9:02 PM on Oct 22, 2008 // reply »
    Actually, since they're trading off their name so much these days, I'd like to see some of the sales from this record funneled over to Mark Shelton so Manilla Road can actually record one album with decent production. Voyager had some stellar cuts ("Tree of life," "blood eagle") still sounds like digital mud and not a in fits-the-storyline way.
  • 7 comments
    AVERSIONLINE
    5:55 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Helm, I can't tell how big a dig you're trying to take at me there. I hope it's not too severe as I've never had anything against you and have always respected the thoughtfulness of your comments on the various blogs we both frequent.

    That being said, to answer your question, no. But Darkthrone is so far from your average "black metal" band these days that it's hard to even weigh their newer material in the same spectrum as the majority of the bands I was covering on Blod￥rstid.

    I tend to NOT care for "lightheartedness" in any music, but this is one of those bizarro exceptions. I've made no secret of my borderline Fenriz-worship based on the pure brilliance of some of the various video segments in which he's featured on YouTube, and that appreciation makes it impossible not to get a kick out of the fact that they would actually title a song "Canadian Metal", and now, even more hilariously, "Hiking Metal Punks".

    What can I say? I'm a fan...
  • 17 comments
    Helm
    7:28 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Not a dig, I don't go about the internet trying to insult people. Was a honest question. Got a honest answer. Thanks. I agree Darkthrone aren't exactly a black metal band anymore, but there's some signal overlap that makes it difficult to understand on what level people understand them. I can't listen to them as if they were a sincere 80's HM band for example.

    Also the security math for this post was 9 - 9. Nihil.
  • 374 comments
    stew_vee
    10:24 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Andrew, if you know of a vid that shows Fen playing his kit, send it on... Those are rare as hen's teeth.

    And, Helm, my security math was 4-4.
  • 32 comments
    Invisible Oranges
    10:38 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    The Nocturno Culto DVD has footage of Fenriz on the kit.

    My security math was 25+13. Why was mine so much harder?
  • 7 comments
    AVERSIONLINE
    10:43 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Helm, good to know, thanks...

    stew_vee, there's a little footage of Fenriz playing on the label's mini-site for the new album, actually:

    http://www.peaceville.com/darkthrone/darkthronesandblackflags/

    Good stuff, all around, ha...
  • 374 comments
    stew_vee
    10:48 AM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Oh, shit... I shouolda bought this vid, I suppose:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIUz2hvlhn8&feature=related

    11-1 this time...
  • 108 comments
    jniff
    12:12 PM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Rather than funneling some profits from sales to Manilla Road, why not just fly them over to Norway, and record their next album in Necrohell 2? I guarantee the final result would sound anything but digital. Hell, get Fenriz to play drums on the album.

  • 374 comments
    stew_vee
    12:24 PM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    Piss on that. Leave Fen to the Rignes; I'll pound the skins for Manilla Road any day of the week.
  • 17 comments
    Helm
    3:12 PM on Oct 23, 2008 // reply »
    The last Manilla Road album sounded great to me. Though most of their albums seem to have fitting production as far as I can tell. It helps if you don't think of the current metal paradigm when listening to Manilla Road, but to consider them in flux. Then their sound usually makes sense.

    And the drummer on Voyager is about 20 times the drummer Fenriz ever would be so no complaints at all from me.
  • 23 comments
    jp
    10:48 AM on Oct 27, 2008 // reply »
    i was wanting to like this website but it's too much like an inverted pitchforkmedia, a lot of the reviews are just pseudo-intellectual drivel tell you nothing about the music just about how much everyone is fake and a hipster and how much the reviewer is not. this album is better n' most of the kiddie black metal that is getting all the praise.

    disappointed.
  • 374 comments
    stew_vee
    10:55 AM on Oct 27, 2008 // reply »
    What are you talking about in particular? This? Are we praising "kiddie black metal?" I'm confused...
  • 23 comments
    jp
    10:36 AM on Oct 28, 2008 // reply »
    drunk posting is sometimes not so great !
    too much anger where it should not be.
    really dig LHP, disagree with some of the reviews but then at least i fucking read them.

    this album is tits though ! norway in september !
    FTW

    jpt
  • 67 comments
    chauncey chomperz
    12:42 PM on Aug 10, 2010 // reply »
    hahahahah. I just realized you copied and pasted your entire FOAD review for stylus and added another paragraph to the end.
  • 374 comments
    VOEGTLIN
    11:54 AM on Aug 11, 2010 // reply »
    The first word's the giveaway here!

    Thought about doing the same thing for the latest. It's no different (i.e. BAD), which is why my reviews for late-era Darkthrone will be no different.
 

Leave Feedback


Name


Email
Email will not be displayed. Gravatars? The LeftHandPath.com uses Gravatars which are the pictures that you see next to each comment. If you haven't already, register your email address and picture with Gravatar.com

Website
( Optional )

Feedback

Post your feedback, HTML will not be rendered, only plain text.


Subscribe
Receive emails when others submit comments

 

Leave this field empty

 
TWITTER RSS FEEDS
categories
138 1970s 33 ac/dc ajna ambient amon another bad idea apocalypse art asia ass cheeks atl atlanta is burning away azagthoth baby warrior drama bazillion points beer ben vierling black metal black metal sublet black sabbath blasphemy blood blue cheer bon scott bone sickness bones books booze boredom brooklyn bros bukkake bullet belts canada canadian mexican food cargo chains chips & beer chips n beer chuck schuldiner cliches codpiece comics conan cooking corpse paint cowbell cross-chatter crust cry babies cycles d&d d.c. danzig david vincent death death metal deceased dei carnifex demo demos denim desecrate devil devilock dffd metal dicks dio dirty south disgruntled dodgy doom dragons dread drinkin drone drugs drunk again dvd ec comics elvis emotions eschatology euronymous's dildo fake fangoria farts feelings fetish film films filth fire florida death metal folk foodster free publicity fulci georgia german germans germans glen benton goats gore grind groupies gygax halloween hard rock hardcore headbanging heat heathen metal heavy heavy metal hell awaits hollywood homeless looking dudes make good music horror horror punk hotlanta ink interview jazz jerseys judas priest kali kenneth anger kill posers king cobra king diamond label profile latin leather lemmy lhp001 lhp002 lhp003 lhp005 lhp006 lhp007 lhp008 lhp009 lhp010 lhp011 lhp012 lhp013 lhp014 lhp015 lhp016 lhp017 lhp018 lhp019 lhp020 lhp021 lhp022 lhp023 lhp024 lhp025 lhp026 lhp027 lhp028 lhp029 lhp030 lhp031 lhp032 lhp033 lhp034 lhp035 lhp036 lhp037 lhp038 lhp039 lhp040 lhp041 lhp042 lhp043 lhp044 lhp046 lhp047 lhp048 lost lucifer lulz magick manilla road marcus garvey master mephistopheles mercyful fate metal metal chef meth mgd misfits morbus chron motorhead mutilation nature nazi gaga necronomicon new york no shit noise norway not black metal not good nwobhm nyc oakleys obama 08 oh death one from the grave pain pentagram philthy pony girl power metal power trio primer problematic production pulp punk pussy putrid real men listen to thin lizzy rednecks repka reunion riffs motherfucker riot ritual robert e howard rock rush salad days samhain satan savage sword scorpions seagrave shit show report sin nanna skanks slayer sleaze sleeveless slim pickens sludge sluts soulless space cadet speed speed metal spikes spooky fingers steel stranger in a strange land studs summer summoning swamp sweatpants sweden swords tanya roberts teethofskull texas thirsty and miserable thrash thrash metal tits tldr tna tombstones tour dates tremelo tuesday you tube vanguard vans varg vhs vinyl vomit weird woods year end blah year-end list you tube tuesday youth zines zinka zombies