Darkthrone
The Underground Resistance

I didn’t think the release of this album had gone unnoticed, now released for almost two years. It feels like an eternity.

Darkthrone are currently writing a new album and, in the meantime, I present to you this "The Underground Resistance".

You may not love the musical genre proposed by Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, but they deserve to be praised for being, and still being, a long-lasting, flexible, and excellent compositional duo.

After the decent but not particularly exceptional Crust Punk-inspired albums, they produced one that revives the musical background of the two Norwegians, their inspirations, their origins: they manage to create a conglomerate of '80s Speed Metal, Thrash Metal, Black Metal, Doom Metal, and even a pinch of Punk spirit.

Six songs emerge in total, perfectly and orderly distributed in the tracklist, as per their routine; 3 tracks each, where each sings their own compositions. Nocturno Culto handles vocals, guitars, and bass, while Fenriz handles drums, vocals, and bass on one of his tracks.

Nocturno Culto's "Dead Early" opens the show, with clear Thrash influences, with dark sharp riffs and deep vocals. A nice initial impact without a doubt, ruthless and bone-crushing.

The atmosphere changes immediately when the classic Western-style guitar announces the arrival of "Valkyrie", predominantly Doom Metal in style and penned by Fenriz. The voice is clean, resounding as if it were an anthem. A heroic, unusual, and fantastically thrilling track.

"Lesser Men", again by Nocturno Culto, immediately presents itself as powerful, like a tank. Guitar virtuosity. Notice how the more malevolent songs were composed by Nocturno Culto.

But Fenriz is also adept with faster sounds and unleashes his fury with "The Ones You Left Behind", a possible homage to bands like Motörhead, alternating between dirty and clean voice; Nocturno Culto himself takes a break and slows down the groove, offering another Doom-influenced song, namely "Come Warfare, The Entire Doom", with pursuits.

Fenriz proves to be the more versatile of the two, both vocally and musically, wielding the longest track ever written by the duo: "Leave No Cross Unturned", almost 14 minutes but never static. The highest peak of the entire album, the perfect meeting point between all the anticipated sounds. The ferocity encapsulated in a single song: Speed and Thrash that combine with Doom, recalling the slow and misanthropic sound of Black Metal from "Panzerfaust", one of their masterpieces.

Darkthrone rejuvenated, finally. A passionate album.