Reviews list for Darkthrone - A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992)

The Classic Kind Of Evil

A Blaze in the Northern Sky sits atop the demonic but frozen throne along with Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark and the later released De mysteriis dom Sathanas for being one of the truest to form traditional Black Metal albums released. While Under the Sign of the Black Mark is the most dirty and raw, and De mysteriis dom Sathanas from Mayhem has the more crushing but polished atmosphere, A Blaze in the Northern Sky creates the most evil sounding middle ground for classic Black Metal. Resting right on the edge of being too theatrical and silly, Darkthrone walk the tightrope of having chaotic but weighty riffs with vampire-like vocals that somehow never falters into the realms of pretentiousness or absurdity. 

Each riff has that signature classic Black Metal lo-fi grind to it, but it's much more clear and manageable than something like early Burzum or Bathory. Whether Darkthrone is playing fast and furious tremolo sections or slower, crunchier chug riffs, everything is discernible while still having that chaotic Black Metal atmosphere that is so important on these early releases. The extended song structure is also a plus for me, as I tend to like my Black Metal tracks on the longer side, so having the 10-minute "Kathaarian Life Code" followed by a slew of 5+ minute songs is something that I'm a big fan of. It gives each riff more time to settle in and opportunities for the songs to properly build and fully flesh out their ideas rather than something like Bathory's old Thrash-like approach. 

To me, A Blaze in the Northern Sky is a true classic of old school Black Metal that incorporates all of the aspects that fans love about the genre into one 6-track package. It has the chaos, it has the chug, it has the aggressive and grating vocals, it has the complex and extended song structure, and most importantly it sounds evil as hell. Many Black Metal bands at the time walked around stage in corpse paint and came knocking on venue doors preaching the sometimes questionable words of the Devil, but I find that very few bands really mirror this in the music they create. Darkthrone, on the other hand, sound like they are crawling out of a misty graveyard on a stormy night ready to prey on unknowing victims. It takes a certain amount of skill to sound this evil, and Darkthrone definitely have a knack for it. 

In a way, from this album to Panzerfaust, Darkthrone are kind of beyond criticism. First off, do Fenris and Ted strike anybody as the kind of guys who could give a shit what I or anyone else think of either them or their music? These two guys have only ever produced the records they want to make, no matter how that's been received. Secondly, if you dislike black metal, then you will almost certainly hate A Blaze... despite what anyone else says. Thirdly, these guys, along with no more than a handful of others, defined black metal in the early nineties, so if you claim to be a fan of BM, but hate this, then sorry, I really don't get where you're coming from.
This album is genuinely THE shit and one of the defining albums in the history of Black Metal. If you don't own it already, then stop what you're doing and get it... NOW!

What an incredible release this was back in 1992. After releasing a straight-forward but enjoyable Scandinavian death metal album as their debut, Darkthrone surprised everyone by unleashing the coldest, most evil sounding black metal the world had ever heard. All the ingredients were there right from the start. A fantastically mysterious and wicked looking album cover in the now standard black and white, with corpse paint included. The rawest of productions that remarkably still managed to be completely listenable and added to the atmosphere and depth tenfold. Blasphemous lyrics spat out in the most venomous and demonic of styles. Freezing cold riffs that somehow sounded epic and majestic while attempting to rip your face off. This is true black metal and Darkthrone nailed it on their first attempt!

While I find the bands recent, more punk and rock n roll influenced albums to be downright atrocious, you can hear that aspect of the band within A Blaze in the Northern Sky. There is a certain punkish element to the band when they hit top speed and In the Shadows of the Horns has a rather rocking feel to certain sections. The difference is that these Norwegian legends played this album with complete conviction, while their new stuff is simply a parody and a piss-take, and an offense to their former fans. It's a sign of just how good and important this album was that it still stands up proudly today, over 15 years later. Literally hundreds of albums have tried to replicate it and very few have managed to get close.

All six tracks are pure black metal gold, but my favourites would be Kathaarian Life Code, In the Shadow of the Horns, Where Cold Wind Blows and The Pagan Winter. A Blaze in the Northern Sky is not only an immensely important album in terms of the evolution of black metal. It is simply a grand example of the genre done right. It’s a shame the band decided to become a joke, and not a very funny one at that!