Darkthrone - (1993) Under A Funeral Moon LP

This is where Darkthrone completed their metamorphosis from their Death Metal origins to one of the most quintessential and uncompromising Black Metal bands. Where "A Blaze In The Northern Skies" still showed sparse riffs and structures reminescent of the band's past, "Under A Funeral Moon" sports a totally cold, haunting and unfriendly musical attitude. This is not saying that the work presented here is anti-musical or performed by untalented players, it doesn't get more false than that. Simply put, Darkthrone got hold of the identity they were striving for, and such identity was never meant to please a large number of listeners.
The differences between this album and the previous are quite apparent. First, the departure of Dag Nilsen, bassist extraordinaire whose highly unappreciated skills were a fundamental component of early Darkthrone, who had agreed to perform bass on "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" before quitting the band due to his lack of interest for the new direction. His style would clash with the band's music anyway at this point, and despite that, this album has some inventive bass parts anyway (handled by Nocturno Culto).
Next, the production, or better the lack of. "A Blaze In The Northern Sky" had a very harsh sound, with the drums and echoy vocals often overpowering the trebly, fuzzy guitars and the barely audible bass. Here, it just gets worse. Everything on this album sounds incredibly thin. The guitars are a kind of buzz which seems destined to be drowned by static anytime, the drums are very flat and lifeless, the bass is heavily and unpleasantly distorted (although it stands out pretty well because of its thick low frequencies) and Nocturno Culto's vocals are a very raspy croak, very different from his usual style, and loaded with echo. This barbaric demo-like soundscape would be enough to put anyone off, yet I have to underline how well it actually works. No elements overpower others anymore, and the volumes are very well balanced.
Finally, the song structures themselves, no longer as epic as in the old days but way more minimalistic, although some technical solutions still stand out. This si something you cannot bang your head to, you cannot air guitar to... this is ugliness at its best.