Review by Rexorcist for Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

I've been going through an extreme metal binge in order to drown certain noises out and help maintain my sanity during some stressful times, and the black metal has been seriously helping.  I mentioned in an earlier review that I've been re-evaluating a lot of classics, so I decided it was time to go back to Darkthrone, a band that some consider to be the best in their scene.  With an incredible piece like A Blaze in the Northern Sky, it's no surprise that they're so beloved.  That album was the first of several Darkthrone albums to help set up the basis for many imitators in the future.  A magnificent opener like Kathaarian Life Code can just send you to hell and back with a few interesting stops along the way, challenging the very notion of metal by reflecting darkness in a multitude of ways.  While the majority of the album focuses mostly on the black metal sounds, the album progresses in many catchy and sometimes brilliant ways that remind you why people love it so much.  There's some more deathly moments, some flat out catchy moments a bit like speed metal, a little extreme hardcore on the side, and some true melancholy.  As well, it was a masterful step forward in proper usage of raw, lo-fi production, and to this day remains one of the best examples of how to do it properly.  So this is easily a winner if you want to introduce someone to black metal.