Darkthrone - Old Star Review

True to no-one but themselves, Darkthrone are back with the darker, doomier follow-up to 2016’s rapturously-received Arctic Thunder. With a surprising degree of secrecy attached to the final project, we’ve had to take the ebullient Fenriz’s word for it that the album is a riff-fest celebrating the heavy metal of the late 70s and 80s, with influences from doom, death and thrash metal all thrown into the melting pot, only receiving a full copy to pore over this afternoon. Recorded, as always, at the band’s deliriously primitive Necrohell 2 Studios with Nocturno Culto handling engineering and production, the band turned the finished record over to Sanford Parker (Voivod) for mixing and Jack Control for mastering. The result is an organic and hefty follow-up to Arctic Thunder that boasts six, predominantly lengthy tracks of thunderous, doom-infused heavy metal and it proves to be one of the band’s finest outings to date. .

From the rampant riff that greets the listener on I muffle your inner choir, it’s clear that Fenriz’s claims are not far off the mark. Although we’re in familiar Darkthrone territory, there is an urgency to the nervy riffing and scabrous vocals that manages to capture the attention of even the most hardened Darkthrone aficionado. Better still, the initial surge of venomous metal gives way to a none-more-brutal old-school doom vibe with a sludgy riff set against mid-tempo drums, the band taking the listener on a hellish descent before kicking things back up a notch as the track races to a breathless conclusion. This is real heavy metal, shorn of studio trickery and delivered with nothing more than an infectious sense of enthusiasm that will have fans in raptures. The throbbing intro to The Hardship of the Scots has a Maiden-esque vibe form back when Paul Di’Anno fronted the band, epic yet punky, although Darkthrone soon take things to a darker place, slowing the pace and allowing the piece to breathe a little, although ferocious riffing is never far behind. Truly, this is mesmerising stuff, heady and violent and yet easy to become lost within, and it may be one of the best Darkthrone tracks in years. The first half concludes with the title track, a shorter, doomier piece that is propelled by rolling toms, the simplistic riffing of the verse giving way to something more majestic on the chorus.

The eighties’ doom vibe continues on the gruff Ape man, a hulking track reminiscent of F.O.A.D with hints of early Candlemass thrown in for good measure. The bruising riff, used to beat the listener into submission, drips with malevolent atmosphere as the percussion sends it, howling, into the depths, and it’s almost a relief when the surging, blackened assault of Duke of gloat arrives to leaven the atmosphere. A fast-paced blackened assault, Duke of gloat boasts an epic guitar lead at the mid-point that once again harks to the glory days of NWOBHM, and it’s easy to imagine Fenriz and Nocturno Culto trading grins in the studio as they laid it down. With one last trick left up its sleeve, Old Star does not disappoint, drawing to a close with the none-more black The key is inside the wall, a menacing, blackened doom finale that takes on the aspect of a horror movie serial killer, rarely appearing to break beyond a stride and yet somehow able to appear right up behind you when you least expect it. A dynamic exercise in tension and release, the key is inside the wall brings the album to a blistering, atmospheric close.

Darkthrone rarely (if ever) disappoint. Their back catalogue has remarkable consistency and yet there are releases that stand higher in fans’ esteem than others. Old Star looks to be one such release. With only six tracks on offer, each one dripping with all the passion and enthusiasm Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have for their art, there is not an ounce of filler, just fantastic, old-school heavy metal, thrillingly raw and unencumbered by misguided ambition or a desire to appeal to the masses. With typically stunning artwork (once again courtesy of Chadwick St John) and a variety of formats (including CD, Cassette, vinyl and box sets), Old Star is a doom-laden triumph that should appeal, not only to fans of Darkthrone, but to all fans of heavy metal. 9.5

Check out the stunning Duke Of Gloat now: