Dark Throne
“Hate Them”
(The End)
True black metal. That’s a stupid thing to write, “true black metal,” as if other black metal is somehow false or maybe just slightly dishonest. What I mean, I think, is this is rootsy black metal. There are no samples, choirs or other trappings of the modern black metal world. This is up and in your face with nerve-ending raw guitars with a slight jangle, tortured vocals straightforward drumming and the driving bass lines common of the genre.
This is a refreshing listen: bold, under-produced, far from slick without pretensions. I’m really digging this one. Sometimes a guy just wants music. He doesn’t want the sound of a producer. He doesn’t want anything but what the band brings to the table. Two guys hammering it out, stripped down and going for it. I think a lot of bands forget that black metal, despite all its baggage, can be fun. Yes, that’s right, fun motherhumper, fun! Darkthrone gives black metal a kick in its punk ass, and my god, they just fade some of the songs out. Fade out. Talk about lacking pretension.