Darkthrone – Astral Fortress – CD

From their formation back in 1986, to becoming one of Norway’s finest musical exports (with a number of highly revered black metal masterpieces released in the early 90’s helping to solidify their legacy), Darkthrone has continued to evolve & challenge in equal measure, throughout their illustrious recording career spanning nearly four decades.

The ever-productive duo of Nocturno & Fenriz continued their metallic saga in 2022 with a new selection of fine, vintage sounding headbanging classics in the form of ‘Astral Fortress’, swiftly following 2021’s revered ‘Eternal Hails’ opus.

Carried on the brisk wind of eager rock, with foundations in black, thrash, doom & heavy metal, ‘Astral Fortress’ was an album of stellar, eclectic old metal in the Darkthrone odyssey. With a seemingly endless dungeon full of heavy metal influences channelled through Darkthrone’s dynamic riff-machine, plus also with many increasing inspirations taken from their own past catalogue, Darkthrone has truly become its own beast within the metal world. Even though sprinkled with atmospheric touches such as synthesizers & mellotron on ‘Astral Fortress’ to great effect, the Darkthrone sound remains stripped down to the core; always primitive & organic.

‘Astral Fortress’ was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios in Oslo, the same location used for the ‘Eternal Hails’ album, with Ole Øvstedal & Silje Høgevold. ”

1. Caravan of Broken Ghosts
2. Impeccable Caverns of Satan
3. Stalagmite Necklace
4. The Sea Beneath the Seas of the Sea
5. Kevorkian Times
6. Kolbotn, West of the Vast Forests
7. Eon 2