Norwegian black metal demigods
Darkthrone concluded their infamous "unholy trinity" of career-crowning albums with 1994's
Transilvanian Hunger -- the first recorded solely by the central duo of vocalist
Nocturno Culto and multi-instrumentalist
Fenriz (not counting a few lyric-writing contributions from an especially tenebrous third party, to be named later).
Transilvanian Hunger is also arguably, marginally, the most accessible of the three for virgin lost souls unfamiliar with
Darkthrone, because it combines the slightly meatier (though still shockingly primitive and intentionally so) production of A
Blaze in the Northern Sky with the more compelling and concise songwriting of
Under a Funeral Moon, but, really, all are absolute classics in their own fashion. Another thing that set
Transilvanian Hunger apart from its predecessors was its virtually unrelenting intensity, which was immediately announced by the implacable opening title track's blast-beaten advance and then maintained throughout by punishing yet totally irresistible aural assaults like
"Skald Av Satans Sol," "Slottet I Det Fjerne," and
"Graven Takeheimens Saler." All of these bear the devil's seal of hoarse screaming and thrumming rhythm guitars coruscated by hypnotically insistent melodic lines possessed of incredible claustrophobic repression (late-album cuts
"I En Hall Med Flesk Og Mjod" and
"As Flittermice As Satans Spys" are among the few cases where this formula finally does get a little tiresome). As a result of this relentless mindset, the sporadic "black and roll" tendencies that were flirted with on
Funeral Moon -- and which would often dominate
Darkthrone's future exploits -- were scaled back almost completely on
Hunger. But, at the same time, when
"En As I Dype Skogen" wound down into vaguely Arabian melodies, or
"Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner" into an echoing, deliberate drum tattoo paying tribute to
Slayer's
"Raining Blood," one quickly remembered that, of all the early practitioners of "True Norwegian Black Metal,"
Darkthrone would, over time, reveal themselves to be among the least insular of the bunch. Which brings us to the aforementioned third party conspirator, whose track record placed him at the opposite end of the tolerance spectrum:
Burzum's
Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes. Although already imprisoned the previous year for murder, arson, etc., it was
Vikernes who provided lyrics for
Hunger's final four songs, thus casting a pall over
Darkthrone's controversial, gratuitous (and soon to be refuted) anti-Semitic shock tactics, which in fact reflected nothing more than
Fenriz and
Nocturno Culto's immature ignorance at the sheer gravity such remarks have. "Live and learn," as they say, and, luckily for
Darkthrone, the unquestionable, warped genius of their musical vision would carry them through even this crisis, permitting
Transilvanian Hunger to enjoy its deservedly high cult status despite this stain on its makers' reputations. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
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