Darkthrone, a very influential black metal band started all the way back to the late 80’s and have created the most iconic, memorable and prestigious releases of all time. Originally started as a death metal band with 1991’s Soulside Journey and then shifted to a much more cathartic, frosty, rebellious and misanthropic style of black metal with among many fan favorites including A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Panzerfaust, Under A Funeral Moon and perhaps the more noticed albums in their existence being 1995’s Transylvanian Hunger which easily began a new wave of raw, grim, cold and authentic style of black metal became a huge revolutionary step for these longtime Norwegians.
Later in their career, they’ve started to branch out their musical style, layers and compositions to a much more modernized and structured production where fans started to became little skeptical about the sound direction both Fenriz and Nocturno Culto whom are the masterminds of creating the highest and sophisticated records in Norway’s history of extreme music, but with albums such as The Underground Resistance, Circle The Wagons and the last we’ve heard a album from Darkthrone was 2016’s Arctic Thunder, which in my humblest opinion was a phenomenal release start to finish.
Eternal Hails…… is the eighth full-length album and is the continuation to 2019’s Old Star and rest assure, anyone who knows Darkthrone and the last couple of records will see a brand new mark and change from this band as Arctic Thunder had atmosphere, progression, excellent compositions, intelligent lyricism and branching out various genres of music including both heavy and speed metal, crust and still retaining that breathtaking black metal signature from older releases and they’ve definitely captured another brilliance of artistic talent.
Perhaps what really stood out for me listening to this album prior to last Darkthrone releases is it showcases memorable guitar leads, outstanding lyrics and complex production sounded precise and sharp which is essentially to be the best modern Darkthrone album I’ve heard to date.
From its cold and frosty passages for the song Voyage to a North Pole Adrift to the band’s traditional black metal soundscapes of Lost Arcane City of Uppåkra, demonstrates a branch for submissive genres and thought-provoking categorizations that’s packed of aggression, paradigms, unmistakable and designed significant passages of black arts that have never felt or sounded very authentically. After combining elements of black and heavy metal with the exception of crust thrown into the mixture, they’ve embedded marks of the beautiful desires of rugged content produced entirely low-fi glorified rawness makes this album phenomenally loved to this day by many extreme metal fans alike. Eternal Hails…… shows differential voids of eternity as the material utilizes composure, outshines furious guitar melodies and chaotic instrumentals make it very unforgettable, simplistic and impressive into tight experiences are remorselessly a organic atmosphere. This particular album by all means necessary is not only worth listening and is a high mandatory purchase in my personal opinion but after being around for 30+ years and going strong, Eternal Hails…… by Darkthrone is without a doubt a monumental experience in black metal, heavy and speed metal as the content provides brutal, blasphemous, memorable modesty in the name of genres and will never be forgotten as a piece of music fans should hear before they die.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Review by Jake Butler
