GiggySound

We check in with all things heavy on RTRFM’s Critical Mass show.

The legendary Darkthrone helped to create, dissect and re-construct the ‘second wave’ of black metal. Their near on 22 year career has seen the Norwegian duo of Fenriz (Gylve Nagell) and Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum) stand tall above the rest of the pack. Sticking true to their convictions, they’ve never played live, record as quickly as they can and work at their own pace. The album proudly boats “Non triggered drums” and is “100% free from ANY cut’n’paste trickery”.

The bands 16th album The Underground Resistance carries on with the theme of the previous three albums, essentially an album of two halves working towards one goal. Nocturno Culto’s songs carry a ‘traditional’ heavy metal vibe with some slow-burn/doomier elements (such as ‘Come Warfare, the Entire Doom) whilst Fenriz’s tracks combine more old style punk, NWOBHM and an influence form obscure/cult speed metal bands (such as ‘Lesser Men’).

The production is a bit clearer than the previous two albums and in some songs I can hear the bass (Gasp!), but it still is a grim sounding album. The absolute highlight is the closing 13 minute track ‘Leave No Cross Unturned’ which combines all the Darkthorne elements into a fantastic ‘riff mix tape’, that chorus will be stuck in your head for weeks!

Fun facts: Nocturno Culto is a high school teacher and Fenriz work for the Norwegian postal service.