Few bands elicit more of a buzz when it comes to a new release than Darkthrone, a band who truly needs no introduction. ‘Astral Fortress’ follows on from last years ‘Eternal Hails…’ and continues Fenriz and Nocturno Culto’s long running relationship with UK label Peaceville Records.
The artwork for ‘Astral Fortress’ is simple but effective, mired in traditional bleak imagery that draws the eye spectacularly.
Featuring seven tracks, Darkthrone opens with the acoustic tones of ‘Caravan of Broken Ghosts’ which expands into a slow, methodical and gruelling session of creeping, twisting guitar leads, controlled atmospheric drum tones and croaked vocals. From there things radiate outwards once more as the tempo picks up and adopts a more Black/Thrash styling complete with Punk infused riffs and rumbling bass leads. This track is particularly to my liking due to its back and forth nature, oscillating between the faster simplified beats and slower, more intensive and menacing tones, which hint at the bands early Blackened Death Metal origins.
Interestingly, whilst ‘Astral Fortress’ can in no way be called a lo-fi album, the production and mastering work especially around the drum sounds give the album a pleasing old school feel, whilst some of the more intensive guitar leads have a satisfyingly cavernous feel to them.
Sporting a grim sounding simple intro, ‘Impeccable Caverns of Satan’ opens into a gloriously catchy track pitted with slower interludes of darker, more beastly Black Metal fare that contrasts magnificently with the once more Punk style riffs and beats of the main body of the track, a track which to speaks more about the evils of mankind being veiled by the guise of Satan.
‘Stalagmite Necklace’ holds more interest for me on a lyrical plain rather than musically although as the track progresses the Mellotron tones do add a very chilling dose of atmospherics to proceedings. Offering up a more traditional slice of anti-religion, ‘The Sea Beneath the Seas of the Sea’ is by far the albums longest track and sets a methodically metronomic tempo tempered by some engaging guitar leads and meandering rhythms. That being said, at just over ten minutes in length it does lapse into moments of plodding stagnation.
By this stage the album has mired itself in a dirge like quagmire of grinding, molasses like riffs and drum tones, the ice-cold guitar leads of ‘Kevorkian Times’ do little to dispel this to begin with, but as the track progresses Darkthrone bust out some of the Punkier fast paced meanderings that the gave the album early life.
Seeing out ‘Astral Fortress’, a short instrumental interlude that leads into ‘Eon 2’, a catchy rambunctious Heavy Metal influenced track that keeps things sharp and snappy, as well as surprisingly upbeat to see the album out. Altogether ‘Astral Fortress’ is a decent album, in no way comparable to the band’s early work and does get a little bogged down in the middle.
(6.5/10 Marksson)
Leave a Reply