Calling this a disappointment would be an understatement. Darkthrone are one of those quintessential bands that define the very nature of "Black Metal". What makes them such ? Lots of people have lots of different theories on this, and we can all discuss their approach to aesthetics and whatnot, but at the end of the day, what makes Darkthrone so special is a certain undefinable quality - which is exactly what's lacking in the versions presented on this CD. The roster that appears on this reads like a "who's who" of the Norwegian black metal scene : Satyricon, Enslaved, Thorns, Emperor, Dodheimsgard, Gehenna, Gorgoroth, and Immortal. You would think that with a line up such as the one above, the results would be at least interesting - but for the most part, they are not. In fact, almost none of these covers add anything to the original whatsoever, and instead are just xerox's of the original(s), with the exception that they lose that "certain something" which makes Darkthrone so individual. The exception to this is Thorns, who's version of "The Pagan Winter" bears almost no resemblance to Darkthrone, and as such has divided people into two camps : those who believe it to be the best thing on the CD, and those who would call it a complete abortion. I lean towards the second school of thought. In my opinion, the two best tracks on this would be the Gorgoroth cover of "Slottet I Det Fjerne", and Immortal's rendition of "To Walk the Infernal Fields" - Gorgoroth for the sheer nauseating sickliness of their version, and Immortal for churning out a recording which actually comes close to reproducing the original's feel (I attribute this to the complete lack of production on their track : we're talking rehearsal tape quality here). I found Satyricon's "Kathaarian Life Code", Emperor's "Cromlech", and Gehenna's "Transilvanian Hunger" to be sub-par and very uninspired versions, while Enslaved (covering "Natassja in Eternal Sleep") and Dodheimsgard ("Green Cave Float" being their track of choice) faring slightly better. That leaves us with Thorns which has already been discussed above.

So what the final score ? 2 good, 2 ok, 3 boring, and 1 that's either brilliance or shit depending on your persuasion. I guess whether or not you should purchase this all depends on how much of a fan you are of the bands appearing on here, as the only real tie this has to Darkthrone happens to be that they're the band being covered here (the feel is completely absent minus the Immortal contribution IMNSFHO). One thing I will add though : the packaging on this is superb. A very nice 5 panel (2 on either side of the actual CD) glossy digipak, containing full lyrics and some other odds'n'ends, all very tastefully done and befitting a band of Darkthrone's (anti)class.

© 1999 chorazaim