No-one in their right mind doubts the authenticity of
Fenriz and Nocturno Culto. Fewer and fewer are those who still feel offended
about their detachment from a black metal scene that, more often than not, sees
its adepts formatting themselves around a series of clichés. Nothing new under
the sun: whilst the majority chooses to follow the hottest trend, few will congenitally
go against them. So you see, in my eyes Darkthrone are a huge part of black metal
history also for stepping back at the right time (or the worst possible time, as
the music industry sharks would disdainfully argue) to reclaim the roots of its
second wave: old school heavy metal, punk and their bastard son, thrash. Deciding
to put your heart and guts back where the true underground spirit used to thrive,
the late 70s and early/mid 80s, might be something hard to grasp for a young black metaller
who started to buy his CDs in the 90s, but you see, it’s bit like rediscovering
the old traditions in order to reconnect to a more meaningful dimension: does
that sound familiar?…
Being passionate about music inevitably makes you feel
regretful about how the most genuine “movements” always end up being dragged in
muck when popularity pushes them out of their original context. Punk; Thrash; Black
metal, their bastard son. They all started as small but tremendously powerful reactions
against something; that’s until punk became synonym of fashion accessories; until
thrash became a tired parody of itself; until black metal, which came into
being to reclaim the lost rawness and authenticity in metal, eventually lost
its “fuck you” power to become, from a demonizing threat, Norway’s biggest
export with halibut and fuels (apparently armaments too). Government sponsoring
potential church-burners and (alleged or real) psychos on the loose indicates
an enlightened choice, one that only the civilized north can make (the
equivalent of Holland’s liberal drug policies), creating an environment where
angry youngsters should no longer feel angry… A positive, peaceful approach to
deal with “problematic youngsters” is kind of preferable to violently stamping
all over them indiscriminately (what Thatcher did with punks in the 80s), but still
remains a perfectly good method to slowly snuff authentic, healthy rebellion. Today
it is more important than ever to understand the importance to keep the
underground alive and thriving.
Enter Gylve Nagell (profession: rockstar POSTMAN
and DJ) & Ted Skjellum (profession: rockstar TEACHER), class 1971 and 1972 respectively,
and their old and multiform creature Darkthrone.
Enter their 16th album unambiguously named THE
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE, on the legendary independent British label Peaceville.
Circle the Wagons left some people (myself included) rather
tepid, so rejoice: The Underground Resistance is as brilliant as it is its energizing
title! A couple of crucial elements ensure an improvement I frankly did not
envisage. But let’s begin the tale…
The first track “Dead Early” bursts in with a fucking glorious
riff that not only encapsulates dark METAL but denotes a far stronger focus on
the songwriting and a slightly cleaner production that makes all the difference.
Evocative and goddamn powerful stuff! All sorts of references burst into my mind,
then the vox comes in and my heart skips a beat: clear and powerful through the
mix like never before, it’s like Nocturno Culto resuscitated Rob “The Baron”
Miller of Amebix from the early 80s… I’m in love! The bass pounds heavily and I
plunge into the unique mood that the English crust punk/proto-doom legends
mastered before anyone else: the dark groove of the verse is immense, pure 1985
Arise! with stronger metal rooting… The best opening track I have heard in a loooong
time.
The way Nocturno Culto and Fenriz split and alternate tracks is cool, as variety is always assured and it is like the album had two openers. What surprise will the lovable straight-speaking drummer have in store? The title says it all: acoustic chords introduce “Valkirye”, an unashamedly epic jewel of vintage proportions which storms in like a marauding horde of testosterone-fuelled, hairy men looting your mind. A slow paced Bathory mood is juxtaposed to sped-up heavy metal alongside catchy-as-fuck vocals that make me grin like a fool. The contrast from the brooding darkness enjoyed before is immense but at the same time perfectly fitting. One thing is clear by now: if the following 4 tracks are just as consistent and exciting we have a winner.
The way Nocturno Culto and Fenriz split and alternate tracks is cool, as variety is always assured and it is like the album had two openers. What surprise will the lovable straight-speaking drummer have in store? The title says it all: acoustic chords introduce “Valkirye”, an unashamedly epic jewel of vintage proportions which storms in like a marauding horde of testosterone-fuelled, hairy men looting your mind. A slow paced Bathory mood is juxtaposed to sped-up heavy metal alongside catchy-as-fuck vocals that make me grin like a fool. The contrast from the brooding darkness enjoyed before is immense but at the same time perfectly fitting. One thing is clear by now: if the following 4 tracks are just as consistent and exciting we have a winner.
The loud, booming bass returns on “Lesser Men”, a
groovier, fatter affair showcasing piercing guitar solos, the best of which fades
right to the end. Apparently Nocturno Culto has delved into more personal kind
of lyrics, a first for him: who might these “lesser men” be? No time to wonder
as “The Ones you Left Behind” introduces itself as the slightly-drunken, tongue-in-cheek
affair that we have come to expect from Fenriz. Czral-style pub singing vs. reckless
high-pitch evolutions à la John Gallagher (Raven) keep you engaged and, again,
make you wonder whom he is taking a dig at this time around... The start of “Come
Warfare, the Entire Doom” brings back the gloomy crust-doom of the enormously
influential (and yet again disbanded) Amebix (for those who do not know their
story, it is important to note that they were heavily influenced by Motörhead
and Black Sabbath as well as Crass, so it all fits to perfection across the venerable
tables of metal history). It could just as well be Hellhammer partying with Motörhead,
as the track becomes hotter, faster, thicker, worshipping right at dark metal’s
sacred relic, but always bearing in mind that it is fucking rock ‘n’ roll… The
album ends with a 13: 49 minute-long epic cavalcade, “Leave no Cross Unturned”,
a rollercoaster between menacing and venomous heavy metal and classic fast-paced
mid-80s thrash, which includes memorable bending notes on the guitar and great zombie-like
choruses.
The album leaves satisfied and in need of repetitive
binges (which regularly happened): it is full of vitality and this is the best
homage that our heroes can make to the tradition of 80s metal, ensuring that
people keep going back to bands like Dark Angel, Raven, Destruction or Sabbat
(UK). Fenriz has publicly complimented his good friend Nocturno Culto for his
best vocal performance to date, and that is certainly true: the immediate consequence
is a great enhancement of the overall enjoyment and impact of this new work. The
incredible energy and immediacy is actually tangible, jumping at you with such
dynamism, fun and passion that you could just close your eyes and easily
imagine Darkthrone on stage: honestly, to die for!!! Here we are no longer
listening to a vintage, muffled sounding vinyl or tape, but to a groovy, sweaty
live performance through a decent P.A.! While the punk influences will remain
an inevitable historical ingredient of 80’s metal, this album reaffirms its
more genuine, primitive (working class!) incarnation, and what a gripping,
energizing and self-liberating experience it is to enjoy at full blast…
