Don't take this the wrong way, but Darkthrone's latest album The Underground Resistance is a whole lot of fun. It's seriously good, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. This is about heavy, loud, noisy music being entirely accessible. More than that it's about a couple of guys who have been around long enough to have the confidence to evolve without losing their power and energy and without having to prove anything.
Yes it did take a while to write, and this is well written and played music, but it flows so effortlessly that it sounds like it's 1985 again and these are a pair of lads feeling invincible as they find new sounds and inspiration, not like some stale attempt at going somewhere for the sake of it. It follows the heart and that's enough to make you forgive the few shortcomings it has.
At its core is great old-school metal, the harsh vocals of Nocturno closer to Lemmy with a sore throat than your typical vomitous and venom-filled hardcore, and it's not the only nod to Motörhead. It's built on rollicking bass and rhythm lines with magnificent melodic riffs that need your head as a metronome and would be quite at home on Overkill or something from Celtic Frost. What Darkthrone add is the thrash, the great production and the operatic vocals of Fenriz (they mostly alternate between songs rather than play off each other within songs).
Opener 'Dead Early' starts off quietly enough before announcing its intentions with some chugging riffs and power chords followed by those great growling vocals. 'Valkyrie' most strongly calls on the ghosts of the '70s and '80s and strong power-metal and the longer closing track 'Leave no Cross Unturned' actually sounds fairly repetitious rather than epic and doesn't venture too far from where it starts, all in a good way. The only real problem with the record is that the songs end poorly, but Darkthrone are no orphans there.
This album will have the most sedate music listener banging their head and throwing horns in no time and I wouldn't be surprised if a taste of it triggers the birth of more than a few metalheads.
