Darkthrone - Plaguewielder

Plaguewielder is the first Darkthrone album in years not to tout itself as "True Norwegian Black Metal." This is a notable point considering that, nine albums into their prolific career (that is, if one's idea of "prolific" is a huge back catalog of nigh-unlistenable garage-quality wedges seemingly recorded on the cheapest Radio Shack boom box possible), Darkthrone has finally started to transcend such self-appointed limitations. Continuing where predecessor Ravishing Grimness left off, Plaguewielder embraces a more coherent direction, incorporating a more straightforward heavy metal influence into their lo-fi "necro" aesthetic, the result being a healthy bounty of relatively simple, memorable riffs (think Bathory) and cogent tempo changes. Read More