It’s hard to believe that, since their 1986 inception, Darkthrone have notched up twenty albums, varying pace and atmosphere from disc to disc, but yet retaining that essential core that has made them one of the most revered names in metal. As with the band’s last opus, 2021s Eternal Hails, Astral Fortress maintains its links to black, thrash, doom and even straight up heavy metal, with atmospheric flourishes cropping up from time to time, just to ensure the overall vibe remains on the right side of chilly. Recorded, once more, at Chaka Khan studios in Oslo, with Ole Ovstedal and Silje Hogevold, Astral Fortress has a powerful, oft-hypnotic sound that sees Darkthrone remain as enigmatically in thrall to the entire spirit of ever heavy metal as ever.
The album opens with the slow-paced and doom-laden Caravan Of Broken Ghosts. Glacial though the pace may be, the track moves through a variety of moods and atmospheres, exploring the band’s dark obsession with extreme metal from a variety of angles before drawing to a breathless close, pummelled into submission by Fenriz’s relentless double kick. It makes for a strong opening and, expanded to nearly eight minutes in length, there is plenty of opportunity for the band to explore their love of the genre. The imperious march of Impeccable Caverns Of Satan could, for all the icy riffing, sit comfortably on an early Maiden album, at least until the pace quickens and a scabrous black metal vocal emerges from the darkness. Shorter than the opening number, it still sees the band take their time to let the full scope of the track emerge, and their patience pays off, with each piece revelling in its own unique atmosphere. For those looking for something darker, the doom-laden Stalagmite Necklace has a Sabbath vibe to it, the opening riff pure Iommi, while synth washes serve to evoke a sense of darkly melancholic romance. Later, the stately tempo and sense of gothic drama edge into early My Dying Bride territory, and the listener finds themselves exploring the cold crystal caves of the band’s imagination with a sense of awe as the track continues to unfold.
Not done with the surprises, the lengthy The Sea Beneath The Seas Of The Sea is a genuine epic. Built around an initially simple, yet melodic riff, it soon works its way through a variety of moods and tempos, the imagery implicit in the title given life by the band’s dynamic arrangement and the subtle beauty of the synths that creep into the mix. The shorter, harder-edged Kevorkian Times sees churning black metal riffs emerge over mid-tempo drums, and the piece harks back to proto-thrash of Snowfall, reminding us that Darkthrone are as keen to celebrate their own history as they are to pay tribute to heavy metal itself. A short, sub-two-minute segue, the eerie Kolbotn, West Of The Vast Forests harks back to the horror movies of the seventies before the Maiden-esque Eon brings this most enigmatic of albums to a close on a NWOBHM note. With galloping riffs and harmonised leads, it is yet another piece that catches the “been-there-heard-it-all” listener on the back foot, reminding us that Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have heard and experienced more in the world of metal than most of us ever will, with every ounce of that combined passion invested in the albums they grant us. Another thrillingly dynamic track, Eon provides a strong conclusion to a consistently surprising album and leaves the listener very much wanting more.
Taking in myriad forms, the most obvious influence on Astral Fortress is doom, which seems to linger over every aching riff. While tracks evolve to take in myriad forms, from black and thrash to trad and gothic metal, the overall sense is one of majesty, with each track allowed to unfold at a leisurely pace that keeps the listener hooked. It is no easy thing to keep an audience invested in such a career, but Darkthrone’s defining feature is their continued insistence in following their muse and nothing else. The band have never pandered to audiences or trends and so, some thirty-six years into their career, they continue to make the music that matters to them and their passion for both the process and the genre is evident in every icy note. Revell in the darkness, for Darkthrone have brought home another masterpiece. 9/10
