Review by Ben for Darkthrone - Transilvanian Hunger (1994)

Venomous and evil, Transilvanian Hunger is shockingly under-produced yet hugely effective. A black metal classic!

Transilvanian Hunger was difficult to swallow when I first listened to it back in the day. I remember thinking "oh shit, they've really taken the lo-fi thing too far this time" and I seriously thought I was going to regret purchasing it. But I still own it today and don't regret it one little bit! In fact, I think Transilvanian Hunger is one of their best and the band really nailed what they were obviously trying to achieve with Under a Funeral Moon. Combining repetitive cold riffs with relentless drumming, evil black metal vocals and an extremely raw, underproduced sound may seem completely obvious today to black metal fans. But Darkthrone took it to an extremity no-one else had dared (at least purposely anyway) with this album and deserve credit for creating something beautifully horrendous in the process.

I personally enjoyed Under a Funeral Moon but did find it to be a bit weak sounding at times. While Transilvanian Hunger drops the production even further into the abyss (you can even here the amps being turned on and off), they somehow managed to make it a lot more impacting. Nocturno Culto's vocals are extremely high in the mix and yet they are so evil and venomous that I wouldn't want it any other way. Fenriz was pretty much the sole songwriter and musician at this stage handling all instruments. His drumming is adequate if unspectacular and really acts as a backdrop for all the incredible riffs he was cranking out. Just about every single riff is classic black metal fare here and they're really what put this album head and shoulders above so many other imitations that have spawned since its release.

Transilvanian Hunger isn't quite deserving of full marks for me. It's extremely close, as tracks like Skald av Satans sol, Slottet i det fjerne, As Flittermice as Satans Spys and of course the title track are all fantastic. But I have to say the album does become a bit one dimensional when listened to in its entirety. It's an extremely important and influential release, but I think A Blaze in the Northern Sky was even more-so and contained more variety in structure. I'd probably list it as my second favourite Darkthrone album, released when the band took their art seriously, unlike the circus act they have become today.