Darkthrone, a band that has long existed as a cornerstone of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, a band that I knew was “important,” has in the space of about a month gone from being a band that I respected and thought had a few killer albums, such as Transilvanian Hunger and Hate Them, to a band that made me think that I had really fucked up and was completely clueless about Darkthrone and heavy metal in general. What happened a month ago? I listened to The Underground Resistance for the first time. This album is on a level of greatness that it makes me wonder what the hell else I’ve been missing from Darkthrone and heavy metal music all these years.
This record isn’t black metal, Norwegian or otherwise. Well, for the most part it isn’t. Part of its appeal lies in how it’s a concoction of Killers era Iron Maiden and Darkthrone’s black metal glory years. Yes, it’s also a little thrashy, but black metal in general is a little thrashy. It’s like an awesome NWOBHM album with a hint of bleak, black metal coldness. Darkthrone is known for changing their style over the years, from death metal to black metal to crustpunk. I can only hope that they stay in this current state for at least a few albums, and add to this burgeoning classic metal/NWOBHM trend. But what this sounds like is only a small part of why it’s so great.
Regardless of the music style on display here, the bottom line is the songs on this release are incredible. I would have to go all the way back to 1986 when I first heard Slayer’s Reign in Blood to find the last time I fell in love with a record so instantly, so completely. None of the tracks are weak, it’s one of the few albums I’ve heard that’s perfect. Maybe some of this comes from reading interviews with Fenriz, but you can hear this band’s love for the heavy metal form coming through here. It’s an album made by two guys who love metal for people who love metal. I love this, and so should you. ***** out of 5.
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