Hardcore, Punk & Heavy Metal > Black Metal Hardcore, Punk & Heavy Metal > D

Grim

Advantages: atmosphere, it's Black Metal
Disadvantages: songs all sound the same after a while

Darkthrone's Transilvanian Hunger is their 4th album, and last(until now) on the Peaceville label. In 1990, Darkthrone released their debut album, which was a total Death Metal record, but later opted to change sound and become Black Metal, influenced by Mayhem guitarist and scene legend Euronymous. Up until this time, Darkthrone's two previous full lengths(Blaze in the Northern Sky, Under a Funeral Moon) were minimal, yet featured many different ...
...and all of that has changed. The 8 songs present here are all based around the same structure, 2 or 3 riffs repeated over and over to induce a trance like state in the listener. The drums are blast beats exclusively, but unlike Marduk and Dark Funeral, are not uber fast. The bass can be at times slightly audible, but this is rare. Six of the songs are written and "sung" in Norwegian, with only the title track and As Flittermice as Satans Spys being ...

wargoat 16.03.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Transilvanian Hunger - Darkthrone

I'm sure you'll like it

Advantages: it is composed in the very style of Dimmu Borgir
Disadvantages: i'm rather subjective

...firstly have to say thet Death Cult Armageddon is one of my favorite Dimmu Borgir albums. It's only within the second track 'Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse' (Progenies of The Great Apocalypse, one of the singles and one of the most popular Dimmu songs in general) that you soon notice that the extremities have been pushed notably further to polar extremes with the grand orchestration playing the dominant epic nihilistic lead role. this record has ...
...on guitar, ICS Vortex from Arcturus provides backing vocals and bass, Mustis on synth and piano and Nicholas Barker, formally of Cradle of Whatever on drums, also they have Immortal frontman Abbath helping on two tracks and the Prague Philharmonic backing them up to provide the album with the drama and over the topness it requires. ...

darkscout 24.11.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Death Cult Armageddon - Dimmu Borgir

Darkthrone Coming and Kicking

Advantages: good production and sound, catchy songs
Disadvantages: different from the older albums

This release was something totally unexpected (except the fact that the full-length album was preceded by a EP "Too Old Too Cold" which gave people a decent surprise) and came like rain from clear sky. With this release Darkthrone have evolved from good old norwegian black metal to motörheadesque and quite heavily punk influenced thrash metal band and I absolutely adore it. Actually the change is rather small, it could be considered big only because ...
...band, but considering that Darkthrone started as a death metal band (their first album is basically a death metal release) turning into black metal after their first release "Soulside Journey". So it's not that big surprise. Compared to their previous full-length "Sardonic Wrath" this release is much more listener-friendly. The vocals, done by Nocturno Culto, are somewhat less harsh, not so much screech as in more like harsh singing familiar to ...

gramortis 29.01.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Cult Is Alive, The [PA] - Darkthrone

In Sorte Diabli - The Devil you know

Advantages: Exellent album extremely well packaged.
Disadvantages: Some may not like the vocal style

...Nowadays that's all changed. In Sorte Diaboli has a truly bombastic sound. The production is fantastic, and the musicianship is technically stunning. It's all a bit like Wagner goes metal, and it's stunning. This album is a bit of a rarity these days, as it's a concept album. The story is set in the middle ages about a man who tries to follow the new religion sweeping through Europe (Christianity), but has a lapse of faith due to what he sees as ...
...he will be tried and in all probability burned at the stake as a heritic. The songs tell his story, from the lapse of faith to his eventual execution, the final track ending with the sounds of flames. The album is consistently good, with no single track falling below par. There is a strong orchestral sound and you feel that this album would sound stunning live if the keyboards were replace with an actual orchestra. The packaging for the limited ...

dalg 22.05.2007 · Read full review
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Review of In Sorte Diaboli (+DVD) [Digipak] - Dimmu Borgir

Darkness Enthroned!

Advantages: Great musicianship, classic songs, clear production
Disadvantages: Some weak tracks

"Enthrone Darkness Triumphant" is yet another fantastic album from Symphonic Metal masters, Dimmu Borgir. I found this album to be highly enjoyable and bursting with talent and originality. The band clearly demonstrate that they are masters of their craft, with the majority of the songs here being laced with catchy guitar hooks, beautiful keyboard passages and empowered blast beat drumming, all tightly and flawlessly executed. This album supplies ...
...the form of the tracks 'Mourning Palace" "In Death's Embrace" and "Master Of Disharmony" There are, of course, a few duds to be found here, in particular "Relinquishment of Spirit and Flesh" The production on this album is excellent, providing some of the raw energy necessary for the execution of this style whilst maintaining clarity of sound. Each instrument is distinct and clearly audible yet the band fuse seamlessly together into a single musical ...

Morgan12873 26.02.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant - Dimmu Borgir