With "Transilvanian Hunger", Darkthrone finally achieved the atmosphere for which they were striving. The progression (regression) is quite clear from their preceding works "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" and "Under A Funeral Moon". With "Transilvanian Hunger", however, something clicked, and the result was Darkthrone's seminal masterpiece. Part of what helps to create this ultimate atmospheric black metal is the simplicity of everything. With this album, Fenriz embraces pure minimalism in his drumming technique, resorting to fills only when absolutely necessary; filling almost every song with simplistic, pulsing drumbeats, continuously alternating bass and snare. The fact that the drums are so low in the mix also helps to enhance this atmosphere, creating a much more internal, visceral feeling. Zephyrous' and Nocturno Culto's guitar work is, however, the key to "Transilvanian Hunger". Though they are strongly backed by Fenriz's drumming, the sorrowful melodies which pervade the album are what truly make this album memorable, dark, and beautiful. The title track is a perfect example of this dark harmony, and remains to this day a black metal standard. However, not only the title track stands out on this album. All of the songs feature this depressing, hateful, and sorrowful mode of expression. This is often aided by Zephyrous' minimalistic bass lines, which are surprisingly audible in the mix. Due to this fact, the album has a much more melodic feel, as the bass lines naturally surface through any distortion applied to them.

The fact that all of the songs on "Transilvanian Hunger" are written in Norwegian (except for "Transilvanian Hunger" and "As Flittermice As Satan's Spys") adds to the atmosphere of the album. It shows that Darkthrone were truly focused on their nationalistic inspiration, and the result was the creation of a genuine, powerful piece of art. Also, Varg Vikernes of Burzum contributed lyrics to four of the songs, bolstering the band's more politically-oriented motivations.

With this strict combination of minimalistic instrumentation, deeply abraded and washy production, and evil imagery, Darkthrone created a true masterpiece with "Transilvanian Hunger". This album will forever stand as a black monument by which all black metal will inevitably be judged.

written by Derek Schultz

Playing time: 38.57