This was, for me, the most awaited CD of this year 2001. I had been extremely disappointed by : 1)"Total death", which was really boring 2)The release of "Goatlord", 6 years after it was created... It's a very good CD, but this seemed like a "commercial" action... 3) "Ravishing grimness", which was not that good, as "Penzerfaust" was already a copy of CELTIC FROST's "to mega therion" & "Morbid tales", but an excellent copy, whereas this one was...pale ! So I really expected some GOOD musical changes ( back to the roots... )would come with that new LP.

One more time, this new DARKTHRONE CD disappoints me. First, the packaging : a full-coloured digipak, certainly influenced by Moonfag's new direction (gay night clubs & acid parties), but I do not stop there (it's too easy to criticize a CD with its cover, I usually do so after hearing it, even if I like the music !). The music is...tasteless, which is a shame for DARKTHRONE. Only the last track really caught my attention, because there is still in it that burning flame enlightened by the old DARKTHRONE ! All other songs are either too slow, or too caricatural. For example, the second track is an exact copy of a CELTIC FROST song, but DARKTHRONE already made songs like this on their previous LP, and on "Panzerfaust", and they were much better !

So, even if this CD is better than 90% of all actual releases in BM, there are 10% of them which are worthy enough to pay for instead of buying this CD. Disappointing... If you like "Ravishing grimness", you'll certainly like this one too, but if, as I did, you stopped after "Panzerfaust" or "Total death", don't buy this one. DARKTHRONE is not dead yet, but the agony has begun and I hope it will not be long...

6 / 10

© 2002 lord pesten