Darkthrone - (1994) Transilvanian Hunger LP

What Fenriz, Zephyrous and Nocturno Culto did on this record is simply amazing. They took all the normal trademarks of black metal—necro production, raspy screams, tremolo-picked riffs, inaudible bass lines, lack of palm muting (unheard of in most other metal genres)—and made black metal that was far from normal. On the surface, it may not seem all that different from Under a Funeral Moon. The songs are minimalist in technique as well as composition, the production is trademark necro and the vocals are still a mix of throaty growls and raspy screams. However, the entire atmosphere of the record is vastly different than its predecessors. While A Blaze In the Northern Sky and Under A Funeral Moon were a mixed bag of evil and grim atmosphere, the third part of the Darkthrone “Black Metal Trilogy” has a haunting, hypnotic and beautiful aura. Yes, that’s right folks, a black metal album that has all of the beauty of a thick pine forest glistening with newly fallen snow. I’d say this album’s beauty is definitely more atmospherically striking than the beauty in Emperor’s In the Nightside Eclipse.