Darkthrone
A Blaze In The Northern Sky Limited Edition

THE REVIEW

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"

New Testament according to Luke, chapter 10, verses 17,18

It was the lightning that tore through the dark shrouds of the Arctic sky, it was the testament of the Sons of Odin, it was the cry that arose from the ranks of the Last Charge of the Gods and that still echoes among the millennial trunks of the Norwegian forests.
Fenriz, Zephyrous, Nocturno Culto are the names of the three men who chose to carry forward the Scandinavian tradition against false and unnatural progress, against the advance of commercialization in the sacred Nordic lands, against an inexorable process of massification that disrupts the world and leaves it unaware of its pagan roots.
The seed planted in 1987 by Mayhem with "Deathcrush" finds in their first work its most fitting offshoot and, at the same time, one of its most majestic flowers. In 1991, with a power never before even dreamed of, Darkthrone constructed that manifesto of True Norwegian Black Metal, which is "A Blaze In The Northern Sky," surpassing every other extreme release of the era.
All the desolating force of the northern cold seems to condense in the 6 magnificent tracks that inaugurated one of the most prolific periods that BM history remembers.
The sound, darkly chaotic, desolating, and malevolent, leaves no room for melodic insertions, as amply demonstrated by all the compositions of the work, whose technical value is nonetheless much higher than believed.
The album opens with "Kathaarian Life Code," with a highly evocative prelude that gives way to the actual unfolding of the track only after creating a chilling atmosphere of solemnity. A very fast drumming introduces the piece, accompanying a corrosive Zephyrous, whose ever-changing riffs succeed in fascinating spirals of violence. The tones become slower and more measured, then regain vigor during the murderous fury of Nocturno Culto's sharp and echoing voice. The subsequent "In The Shadow Of The Horn" progresses (relatively) slowly, transforming into an apocalyptic triumph of brutality, with Fenriz rising, only to be eclipsed in the final part by a short but intense keyboard composition (!). "Paragon Belial" boasts beautiful, icy riffs and solos by Zephyrous, over which Nocturno Culto's roar inserts itself.
And after these three gems of Scandinavian fury, here comes the most devastating composition of the album, which is still remembered today among the best pieces in all of Extreme Metal: "Where Cold Winds Blow." Rabid, Fenriz accompanies a destructive voice that only respects the cruel arpeggios of a torturous and lamenting guitar. The numerous tempo changes dictated by the skins are exhilarating.
The following "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" bursts violently, led by Nocturno Culto's angry scream. Guitar passages rich in pathos and furious drumming alternate in icy coils of fury. "The Pagan Winter" is no lesser, which, like the other parts of the work, manages to create an unprecedented sense of cold. Notable throughout the album is the composition of the lyrics centered on the decline of pagan worship due to Christian evangelization. Verses of moving beauty express the nostalgic pain that permeates the entire work, thus integrating the great charm it already possesses.
Torrents of words aim to celebrate the greatness of "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" have been spent, but nothing will ever describe the arcane aura surrounding this first work of Darkthrone.

"My weapons sighed, my tears they tasted,
summon my warriors to the land of desire,
to the domain of hate where cold winds blew
for lust for hell we rode with the North Wind"