subversion
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Darkthrone: Dark Thrones & Black Flags
Do not hope for another glorious Under A Funeral Moon (by any other name) release by this band; they are not treading that path any more. With Dark Thrones & Black Flags, Messrs Fenriz & Nocturno Culto have re-affirmed their punk convictions. If you thought FOAD was a little disjointed in terms of musicality, DTBF has more consolidation in the mix. The current brand of Darkthrone embraces the introverted cataclysm of black metal but the chaps have no obligations to manifest the genre in their composition, the essence of it does linger.
Music-wise, there isn’t an in-your-face black metal annihilation to be found anywhere in this 39min journey. Opener The Winds They Called the Dungeon Shaker has a deceiving crawl-pace attitude but in whole, DTBF is a mid-tempo serving. Takes such as Death of All Oaths & Blacksmith of the North managed to retain the blackened doom aspect of proceedings. The lo-fi signature of all things Darkthrone still persists but the vocal reverberation on display here could have been more tasteful; with all due respect, its application reflects a juvenile effort in trying to be different.
Cringe if you have to (especially you troo & kvlt Darkthrone militants) but this is the new Darkthrone, one which has decidedly embrace bits of the nether-realm punk culture. In fact, the band has invited the convenient labeling of the music as crust punk, a clear non-indicator of its black, harrowing past.
Rating: 79%
