Year: 2021
Total Time: 41:23
Label: Peaceville Records
Having left the Black metal sound behind for many years, the living Norwegian legends DARKTHRONE faithful to their tradition, in which they are releasing new album every two or three years, are returning this year with their new full length entitled “Eternal Hails…”. The truth is that every new album hides surprises, as you do not know what to expect regarding the musical path they will choose to follow each time. Having wandered between different Metal paths in the last decade, what remains unchanged in time is the quality of their releases, which are remarkably high.
In “Eternal Hails…” the Norwegians choose to strengthen the Doom Metal element within their sound, something that they started on their previous album, with the new record moving to a slow and mid-tempo rhythm with a dark atmosphere and all five compositions lasting around nine minutes. Fenriz had many times mentioned his love for BLACK SABBATH (“Hate Cloak” will ring a bell), PENTAGRAM and of course CANDLEMASS, for whom he had stated that their debut “Epicus Doomicus Metallicus” is a life inspiration for him, a statement that finds implementation in DARKTHRONE’s new release.
Of course, there are influences from classical Heavy Metal stuff and also from the titans CELTIC FROST that we find mainly in the fastest parts and songs of “Eternal Hails…”, such as “His Master’s Voice” and “Wake of the Awakened”. A special reference must de made for “Lost Arcane City Of Uppakra”, which closes the record and finds the band lyrically returning to anti-Christian themes, while musically its second half is a Doom/Black Metal masterpiece incorporating keyboards that remind us of BURZUM and create a magical mythical atmosphere. The production of the album is more lo-fi compared to “Old Star”, with the drums sounding natural and much louder in the mix compared to the bass which is buried, while once again the vocal performance by Nocturno Culto is breathtaking.
In order to appraise the quality of the new album, we must first take out of our minds the image the Norwegians had in their early years and our belief in what we would like to hear from them in 2021. After thirty-three years of career and nineteen full lengths, DARKTHRONE have created a myth around their name and they do not have any need to prove absolutely anything to anyone. They continue to play they music they love, as this is what they like to do anymore, still releasing quality records that stand out easily within the Metal genre. With “Eternal Hails…” they continue from where they stopped with “Old Star”, putting more emphasis on the Doom element and at the same time sounding fresh and enjoyable.
Rating: 7.5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: DARKTHRONE – Facebook Page
