Black Metal History Month Reviews

Album Review: DARKTHRONE The Underground Resistance

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Not that I would want to subject myself to the hair-splitting involved, but if I had to give you an example of "true metal", it would be Darkthrone's The Underground Resistance. Raw, unpretentious, and dark as the coldest Norwegian Fjord, The Underground Resistance combines all the elements that gave heavy metal its original glory. Yet at the same time, the many elements of Darkthrone are present here as well. From the fist-pumping grimness of their recent Crust-Punk phase, to the legendary and genre-defining glory of their Black Metal years, and perhaps even a few very faint echoes of their early Death Metal beginnings. Taken as a whole piece of heavy metal artwork, Fenriz and Nocturno Culto paint a picture that shows the pair making only the music they want to make and have a hell of a great time doing it. (more…)

Reviews

Movie review: Until the Light Takes Us

By Ben Apatoff

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Until the Light Takes Us, a new documentary chronicling black metal-related crimes in Norway in the early '90s, tells a fascinating story. It's a story that deserves to be told better, and it has been, most notably in authors Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind's must-read Lords of Chaos. Unlike The Story of Anvil or Some Kind of Monster, Until the Light Takes Us won't appeal to anyone who isn't already invested in the music, and even fans might find it chore to get through. (more…)