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DARKTHRONE BAND PAGE
 DARKTHRONE
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CURRENT NAME
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Darkthrone | |
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FORMER NAMES
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Black Death | |
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ORIGIN
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Kolbotn, Akershus, Norway | |
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STATUS
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Active | |
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FORMED IN
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1986 | |
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LABEL
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Peaceville Records | |
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GENRE
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Black metal | |
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STYLE
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- | |
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LYRICAL THEME
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- | |
| BAND ADDED | 2005-12-11, 00:00 | |
| LAST UPDATE | 2008-07-01, 05:37 | |
| Band biography |
Enter Euronymous, his label DEATH-LIKE SILENCE, and his record store, HELVETE. The store and indeed the man, became central figures in the fledgling Norwegian black/death metal scene, the store, often a "meeting place" of sorts. Soon, an elite band of musicians was apparent, Euronymous' hard-on for Venom and Bathory, and his anti-trend rants wore off on those around him, including at least three of the then current four members of Darkthrone. This "elite" group, was eventually known as the "Inner Circle", or the "Norwegian Blackmetal Mafia".
Reports of Darkthrone's massive changing of direction, flooded the underground, at a time when Earache grind/death was reigning supreme, which made the change even more bemusing. A rehearsal tape appeared, and it showcased Darkthrone's new sound, one of the former incarnation of Darkthrone, playing avantgarde covers of early Bathory perhaps. In tune with the forefathers of their newly chosen style, the band adopted pseudonyms/stagenames of demons and gods. Gylve Nagell became Fenriz, Ted Skjellum became Nocturno Culto and Ivar Enger became Zephyrous. With the new names, came the corpsepaint. This was music for the dead, and it was only befitting that the chamber orchestra looked like a morgue. Bassist Dag Nilsen, was completely unimpressed with the new direction of the band, presumably because there was no scope for him to showcase his jazzy (and excellent) bassplaying, and promptly left, but not before laying down bass tracks for the forthcoming album. It suprised more than a few people, and disappointed even more.
Later that year, "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" was released, and it turned the extreme metal world upside down. An album so raw, so regressive, so...primitive, that it left journalists gasping for superlatives, for the most part, favourable ones. The primal power of early Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost had been resurrected in a big way. This was a million miles from "Soulside Journey".
Soon after, more "blackmetal" bands appeared in Norway, predominantly bands previously playing death metal (Old Funeral, Satanel etc). It was official, just when grindcore and deathmetal had become stagnant, blackmetal was back, harsher and more extreme than ever before. Reports of the "blackmetal mafia" filtered through (almost tailor made for) mainstream rags like Kerrang! and Metal Forces.
"We make sure only the right people play blackmetal. Its not just some fashion that will go away. If they're not right, we'll use whatever means necessary to get them to stop devaluing blackmetal. It is our way of life.", was one statement reportedly made by none other than Fenriz, who was rapidly emerging as the figurehead for Norwegian Blackmetal, regardless of his praise for Euronymous as leader of the circle.
In 1994, Darkthrone released their harshest, most extreme album to date, the haunting "Transilvanian Hunger". An album which defined the term "satanic harmony". Quirky riffing, underpinned by simple riffing and Fenriz' relentless garden-sprinkler drumming, coupled with one of the (intentionally) worst production jobs ever heard on CD, courtesy of Fenriz and his Necrohell studio, where Darkthrone also recorded the preceding, and following albums, "Under A Funeral Moon", and "Panzerfaust".
The album itself was cloaked in hype, especially regarding a statement the band made to coincide with its release. "We wish to state that "Transilvanian Hunger" is beyond criticism, and any man who attempts to do so should be thoroughly patronised for his obviously jewish behaviour.". Strong words indeed, which led to Peaceville's refusal to promote the album, and it was boycotted by many the world over. The inclusion of the banner "Norsk Arisk Blackmetal" ("Norwegian Aryan Blackmetal") to the back cover of the album, led to claims of nazism/racism being levelled at the band; claims which the band never quite bothered to rebut. It was at this stage, Darkthrone began writing most of their lyrics/songtitles in their native tongue, and decided that they "only wanted to work with Norwegians". Their next album would appear on Moonfog Records, run by Satyr, of Satyricon, and based in Norway.
In 1995 Zephyrous decided to leave the band and what he has been up to since then no-one seems to know. Rumors said that he became a homeless bum wondering the streets of Oslo and begging for money, which is why Fenriz doesnt want to give out any more info on Zephyrous's where abouts.
| Current members Add - Fetch | |||
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| Former members Add - Fetch | |||
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| Session musicians Add - Fetch | |||
| Unknown / none |
| Buy Darkthrone albums |
| Official releases Add | ||
8 / 10 Read our review here | ||
9 / 10 Read our review here | ||
7 / 10 Read our review here | ||
10 / 10 Read our review here | ||
9 / 10 Read our review here | ||
8 / 10 Read our review here | ||
8 / 10 Read our review here | ||
8 / 10 Read our review here | ||
8.5 / 10 Read our review here | ||
6.5 / 10 Read our review here | ||
7 / 10 Read our review here | ||
7.5 / 10 Read our review here | ||
| Tour dates / gigs |
