The magic of Darkthrone is still in the air.
Emblematic figure of Norwegian Black Metal in the 90s, the duo formed by Fenriz (drums/vocals/guitar/bass, Valhall, ex-Dødheimsgard, ex-Isengard, ex-Eibon) and Nocturno Culto (guitar/vocals/bass, Sarke, Gift of Gods, ex-Satyricon) reveals in its twenty-first album, It Beckons Us All……..
Less than two years ago, Darkthrone continued to surprise, breaking away from the Old School Black Metal for which they are renowned, while maintaining a surprisingly high quality. With its artwork from Zbigniew Bielak (Behemoth, Deicide, Dimmu Borgir, Ghost, Mayhem, Watain…), I was already perceiving more darkness, with these planets entangled in this… slimy cosmic web, but Howling Primitive Colonies will prove me half wrong by continuing with this heavy Doom approach once the modern introduction is over. The grimy, dissonant mix is still present, but with a haunting slowness and hoarse vocals bordering on clean, while the martial tones of Eon 3 are more reminiscent of the band’s early days, with their riffs packed with howling harmonics. A few more melodic touches appear halfway through the track, but these disappear with the chaotic Black Dawn Affiliation, which returns to the hazy, jerky sound with its dark heavy influences. The mood changes again in the middle of the track to become more mystical, even welcoming backing vocals before giving way to the eerie And In That Moment I Knew The Answer, a three-minute instrumental composition that develops a kind of troubled quietude. The Bird People Of Nordland anchors itself once again in Black Metal, offering long passages both sordid and epic, with catchy accelerations, before falling back into oppression with The Heavy Hand and its lethargic tones topped by the foggy, echoing cries of Nocturno Culto. The end of the album is marked by The Lone Pines Of The Lost Planet, which unveils its cold landscape, inhabited by airy notes with raw touches, but which end up becoming almost welcoming by adopting… surprising effects.
As if they always wanted to surprise us, the two musicians make fun giving Darkthrone more and more influences, whether Doom, Heavy or Hard Rock. It Beckons Us All……. is far cry from the band’s classics, but just as inspired.
75/100