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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing, 16 Sep 2003
After experimenting with Death Metal on ‘Soulside Journey’ (which many, including the band themselves, viewed as a disappointment), Darkthrone followed an increasing popular trend amongst Norwegian bands by jumping on the Black Metal bandwagon. But instead of becoming another group of generic wannabes, they became one of the most respected and influential bands in the genre. This six–track effort was their first attempt at Black Metal, and is rightly hailed as a classic.From the spooky–sounding intro and into “Kathaarian Life Code”, the first thing that strikes you about this album is the production. ‘A Blaze in the Northern Sky’ is one of the rawest sounding records released and will come as a shock to anyone new to the genre. Fortunately, the sound quality acts as the perfect complement to the songs, and if anything, adds to the atmosphere; you could easily picture this being played by the band in a cold icy forest. Besides, Darkthrone were never one to rely on glitzy production jobs — their music was always good enough to speak for itself. Which brings us to the actual music. All six of the songs on offer are fantastic and amongst the band’s best. From the evil feel and complicated riffing of “Kathaarian Life Code”, to the twisted genius of the title track, Darkthrone have pulled out all the stops here to produce an absolute beast of an album. The musicianship here is top–notch. Fenriz’s awesome drumming and the fantastic guitar work courtesy of Zephyrous and Nocturno Culto were made for each other, whilst the vocals (also by Nocturno Culto) are throaty growls which fit neatly on top, his consistent performance making the album sound that bit more evil and atmospheric. This album was the one that set the standard that all other Darkthrone releases would be judged by. Whilst a couple of albums have come close, nothing Darkthrone have done since this album has bettered it, and chances are, none of their future albums will either.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Black Metal Masterpiece, 2 May 2006
OK, let's see...what to say of this album?
A person associated with Black Metal once reminded not to mistake lack of talent with genius. The walk along this extremely narrow grid seems to be quite fitting with Darkthrone: The value of musical skill? Naught. The song-writing? A catastrophe to any Primary music teacher. The sound quality? A bit like a faulty electric razor. The music itself? A cacophony that could not be worse; the album sounds a little like a few kids who figured out how to mess with the gain pedal and the guitar, the vocals a bit like a chain smoker after 45 years. And now you wonder why Peaceville heavily reconsidered having ever signed them?
So what is it then that deserves this album 5 stars? Well, it is easy: The songs are killers; and the minimalistic setting only happens to highlight an atmosphere so dark and cold that Satan himself is hiding behind a sofa. Nocturno Culto's voice is genius, too, raspy as it is - grimmer than any horror movie and frostier than the deepest reach of Siberia. Not to speak of Zephyrous' utter rape of the guitar, nor of the trollish battery delivered by Fenriz.
So as it is, I would certainly not recommend to listen to this album alone in a dark wood. The old quote of "Black Metal ist Krieg" (Black Metal is war) could not be more fitting to this album, and if you're a fan of the likes of Bathory or Burzum, then you've not lived until you've heard this album; it is simply one of the best BM albums ever recorded, and should not be missing from any CD collection, at least not in the collections of those that boast themselves "True Black Metallers". Congratulations to Darkthrone for creating a masterpiece for all eternity!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Black Metal classic, 2 Jan 2005
Firstly we're treated to a somewhat amusing intro of dark, ceremonious "Ahhhhh"s, a Satanic ritual in musical form, which I couldn't help but to laugh at simply for how heavily clichéd it sounds. Indeed, Kathaarian Life Code starts with the sound of perfectly executed high-speed double-kick drumming, and distorted, high-treble guitar sounds, forming a blisteringly fast, evil sounding piece, the lack of production really complementing the mix - the album sounds chillier than icecaps. The vocals really are the icing on this dark, dark cake - shrieks of hatred marinated in reverb come tearing out of your speakers. The downsides to this album are so few I've had trouble finding any, but if I had to list any I'd state that: A) taping the intro to the album at the end and just adding a fade out was just plain lazy B) sometimes the attempts to sound Satanic and evil, well, just come across as if they're trying too hard. For instance, there's a part in Kathaarian Life Code where the screaming is abandoned for a yell of "Ahaha! It's a true place of evil!", which made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it. Since then, of course, I've come to know the whole album rather well, and I'd say it contains some truly great Black Metal; perhaps the highlight of the album is, for me, the song A Blaze In The Northern Sky, though there isn't a bad track on here. If you happen to appreciate Black Metal at all, then this is definitely an, if not THE, album for you.Evil never sounded so great, or so viscerally exciting.
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