By: Jesse Striewski

I really wanted to give the latest from black metal masters Darkthrone my fullest attention prior to reviewing their latest LP (and with an album cover as epic as the one found here, how could I not?), so I tried to absorb their latest effort It Beckons Us All as best as I possibly could since its release date on April 26.

Again, I don’t make us much time for black metal these days as I once might have, but there’s no denying the greatness of certain acts of the genre like Darkthrone. At this point the guys have undoubtedly perfected their craft, and it shows through on this latest record.

From the beginnings of “Howling Primitive Colonies” to the epic closure of “The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet,” there’s no shortage of the dark lyrics and menacing guitar riffs that define their sound. “Eon 3,” “Black Dawn Affiliation,” and “And In That Moment I knew the Answer” are all further prime examples of this. No doubt a must-listen for any fan of the genre.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

By: Jesse Striewski

I’m not as privy when it comes to black metal these days as I might have once been, but Darkthrone is one band I still hold appreciation for no matter how distant from the genre I may have become. At this point, core members Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have become the Lennon and McCartney of the extreme metal genre.

Astral Fortress, the band’s twentieth full-length album (released just one year since their previous outing, Eternal Hails), finds the group hard at work conjuring more sinister numbers that sound as though they came straight from hell. No time is wasted right off the bat, as the band unleash the nearly eight-minute long “Caravan of Broken Ghosts.” And although only seven tracks total, the length of many songs makes it feel even longer, with “The Sea Beneath the Seas of Seas” clocking in at over ten minutes long. Other titles like “Kevorkian Times” and “Eon 2” are more straight forward and direct to the point.

I usually have to be in the right mood to listen to black metal, but once I do I usually find myself totally immersed in the isolated nature of it all. Darkthrone are a force to be reckoned with, and a perfect starting point for anyone just now getting into extreme metal.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars