Yes, it’s good. It’s still Darkthrone. But…while I realize everyone wants to hear those magic words, the impressions of what that means is most commonly related to Blaze… through Transylvanian Hunger, with Panzerfaust tying the knot. That’s not really what we’re dealing with anymore. Total Death of course had a few great pieces as well, however I don’t believe it ever measured up to the others. Briefly, let me provide an introduction to Darkthrone so anyone who isn’t familiar can understand what I’m talking about. Throughout the 1990’s, we have witnessed what a few people who were inspired by Bathory and Celtic Frost can do. After establishing their unmercifully harsh and aggressive style (of black metal), Darkthrone ventured forth (back?) to a more collected and grim old-school sound, and a successful one at that (compliments of Tom G. Warrior). Nocturno Culto and Fenriz continue in this vein with Ravishing Grimness, essentially picking up where Total Death left off, but fewer riffs, longer songs and a more raw production. Lyrically, Darkthrone hasn’t strayed one bit from the past. Fenriz retains the biting and burning and total lack of compassion that fuels his poetry, starting the album off with, ""Deprived of will / three feet in the grave / decaying soul / myself I shall kill / lifeless / deprived / lifeless / in hatred…"", from the opening track "Lifeless", or as exemplified in the title track, ""…chronic deviant mood reactions / vindictive instincts greeted with glee / completely born and built to loathe / a dreary hell’s in store for me…"" The coldness and grimness are still there, hence making it "still Darkthrone", but musically it’s more or less entirely mid-paced old-school metal (in the vein of Hellhammer, Venom, Celtic Frost), and there’s one part halfway through the track "Ravishing Grimness" that sounds like something off Burzum "Hvis Lyset Tar Oss". The last track "To The Death (Under The King)" is a bit faster paced thrash, my personal favorite. Regression in the songwriting process seems clear here, though Nocturno Culto’s precision in his rhythm playing is dead on, making everything comes out cleanly. Fenriz’ drumming is quite basic, but his beats accent the riffs w/that unique touch as always. This is Darkthrone, so as always I think there’s more going on…in this case, learning what’s behind the music has helped me gain more appreciation for this album (i.e. recorded in 3 days, supposedly "We just played everything twice because it was easier to remember it that way", etc.). If any other band put this album out, I’m not sure it would receive half the attention, but then again there are still a few new very strong "black fucking metal" releases out there being passed up today anyway. This is not what I expected, this isn’t the total kick-in-the-face I wanted…like many other fans (perhaps), I was hoping for all out aggression. Nevertheless, Ravishing Grimness is indeed a great change from every CD coming out now which is either 1000000 mph blastbeats or retarded melodic romantic metal idiocy. It sinks right in and becomes an active part of my cd collection. I like this album, but like Total Death, currently it’s not nearly as compelling to listen to as their old material. Overall, it sounds like more of a warm-up for something to come. I think fans of old-school metal will enjoy this album a lot more because it definitely captures that feeling.

Written By: Abbas