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Rating: Darkthrone.
The name of this band is tied to many chapters that have made black metal a genre both loved and (very) hated by the metal audience, and it is on this basis that I undertake to review their latest discographic effort. "The cult is alive" indeed doesn't stray much from the previously stated clichés: extremely "garage" production, very dirty riffs, "distant" drums (this time not too much), extremely fierce vocals, and highly low-fi sounds. But it is precisely because of these characteristics that even the latest work by the Oslo natives proves to be of tremendous impact, combining the minimalism of black metal they have created with the "damnation" typical of rock'n'roll on the edge of crust-punk! Such is the novelty in the new compositions by Fenriz and Nocturno Culto. And I am referring particularly to tracks such as "The cult of Goliath", "Too old, too cold", and the feral "Atomic Coming", where the riffs prove to be compelling, the groove unstoppable, and Ted's voice reigns supreme, imparting a truly impressive fury to the whole. The vocal parts indeed reveal themselves as the true strong point of the album as they perfectly align with the band's "new" musical direction, and in the emblematic "Shut up" (perhaps the most easy listening track in their history), they deliver a punch that many current singers can just forget. Also worth mentioning is Mr. Fenriz's work on the drums: precise, violent, but at the same time able to "dirty" the instrument as in the past. "The cult is alive" will most likely displease the purists as it incorporates different influences compared to the past, but as far as I’m concerned, it doesn't change a bit the musical message of the Norwegians: anger, hatred, disgust, and wickedness transformed into music.
The only difference lies in having combined the minimalism of the early nineties with musical influences (punk, Celtic Frost) that Darkthrone has never hidden in all their interviews.
Beware of reviews that declare their "sellout" to a wider audience, this album has nothing commercial, and impact to share in abundance, perhaps even more than in the past!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Cult of Goliath (04:01)
666 steps ahead
I can not be traced
You sense my presence here
Like the fear of cancer
HAIL BABYLON!
The cult of Goliath
Scraping on my fence
Feeble religious slugs
You can not come inside
Inferior to the might
You criticize the Cult
Stumbling confidence under my blackfoot
Uh!
Hail Babylon!
The cult of Goliath
Superior crown wielder
Dome of exclution
02 Too Old, Too Cold (03:03)
Nothing to prove
Just a hellish rock'n roll freak
You call your metal black
It's just spastic lame and weak
We're too old
Too cold
Too old
And too cold
Second to none
Like an angel unfucking born
Down with people
It's done
your attitude
It' stillborn
We're too old
Too fucking cold
Nothing to prove
Just a hellish rock'n roll freak
You call your metal black
It's just spastic lame and weak
Second to none
Like an angel unfucking born
Down with people
It's done
your attitude
It' stillborn
We're too old
Too cold
Too old
and too cold
05 Underdogs and Overlords (04:01)
Revel in the glory of system failure
When arrogance marries power
Conceal with the coak of philanthope
Let the stinking dogs lie
Evil takes all sides
Fast and untouchable
True, hard, raw, and crusty
Underdogs and overlords
På betryggende avstand av lysende intellekt
Fåfengt tro på dine kristine avguder
Hvert eneste frafall bsmetreens take
Hardhjerta rikosjetter i ditt tvilende sinn
Smidd av hat
Lenket til grimhst
True, hard, raw, and crusty
Underdogs and overlords
Evil takes all sides
Fast and untouchable
True, hard, raw, and crusty
Underdogs and overlords
Revel in the glory of system failure
When arrogance marries power
Conceal with the coak of philanthope
Let the stinking dogs lie
08 Tyster på Gud (03:08)
Det sekulære tyranniet
Tyster på gud
Ja vi tjener rått
På deres etiske masochisme
Du føler avmakt
Du skal ikke ha andre guder enn meg
Nye former for totalitær tenkning
Hånd i hånd med stagnerande nedrustning
HAHAHA, for faen
Du fåfengte kontrafakiske historiesskriver
You should be fed to the living dead of Nairobi
Du føler avmakt
Du skal ikke ha andre guder enn meg
Det sekulære tyranniet
Tyster på gud
Ja vi tjener rått
På deres etiske masochisme
09 Shut Up (04:45)
Shut Up, Shut Up
I'll stick to my guns
While you stick to yours
Sit Down
Let's not pretend
That I'll have to use force
Are you Satan?
I don't think so
You copy my style
And you call yourself a man
You want a piece of me?
Yeah... you do
Begging for this and asking for that
Shut Up, Fucking Twat
Shut Up, Fucking Twat
Shut Up, Shut Up
I'll stick to my guns
Now you stick to yours
Sit Down
Let's not pretend
That I'll have to use force
Are you satan?
I don't think so
You copy my style
And call yourself a man
Never could fathom my hate
Unable to take a hint
You haven't got a clue
Satanism is lost on you
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Other reviews
By PasMal?
Darkthrone certainly doesn’t retrace their steps, but release an album of definite impact, catchy, and well-produced.
The attitude is now rock’n’roll, the songwriting is very simple, and they draw heavily upon sacred monsters like Motorhead and Celtic Frost.
