DARKTHRONE The Dull Years Part 5

Artist: DARKTHRONE
Title: Total Death
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Moonfog Productions
Format: LP (CD Cover Shown)

Of the five albums falling into the ‘dull years’ category, I believe this to be the strongest, and opening cut ‘Earth’s Last Picture’ is probably the most fortified of everything from this era. Has some very cool and untypical riffs punctuated with tidy harmonics and some very commanding, yet catchy drumming. It is also one of the very rare Darkthrone tracks to incorporate bass guitar to the level it has been in this piece, and though it sounds like Skoll from Ulver playing this track, it is not that far removed in that it is Garm who has written the lyrics. Well hardly the same thing, but less random than Garm’s lyrics and Lemmy playing bass isn’t it?

In fact, there are numerous guest lyricists on this album which is not a first for Darkthrone, and the finest works are provided by outsiders on this occasion – the aforementioned Garm, and Carl Michael whose ‘Blasphemer’ is on par with Darkthrone’s finest Satanic poetry.

It’s not long though before that murky, kinda directionless sound and style finds its way and bubbles to the surface. Left over ‘Transilvanian Hunger’ riffs permeate and when considering the trancelike element of that release, I believe it should have remained a singular and unique entity. Were it not so radically removed from the first two BM offerings that may not be a suitable argument; however… This is a tricky argument too when considering that percentages of ‘Panzerfaust’ are comprised of that style, but I think the difference there is that is sounds more vital.

It’s timely to interject once again that this LP is the strongest of those falling into the realms of this discussion and probably the question should again be raised that if you are only as strong as your last offering, why should the past inform the present? I think the answer to that is, for the most part, who would be listening if ‘Total Death’ was the first Darkthrone album? And though people took note then, would they be relishing it now?

Black-thrash-speed metal number ‘Blasphemer’ was somewhat timely when considering the advent of acts playing this style around the mid 90’s, and while I am not convinced it is a style that Darkthrone execute with overt masterdom, it is engaging and it does lend this record with further details of merit that distance it further from the other releases in this category. The Hellhammer-esque aura of ‘The Serpents Harvest’ is a tidy closer (at least the start of it) and a logical regression from ‘Panzerfaust’s Frost worship.

The flow of riffs is great on this record is tidier than much of what would follow it, and to qualify this offerings place in this dull category really needs to be determined via a score styled system. If ‘Panzerfaust’ was a 9/10 record, this could only be a 6/10 and when you have grown to expect immortal platters of blackened brilliance, a 6 simply won’t do.