So Pure...So Cold

Abysmal production, repetitive riffs, and drumming that hardly varies from track to track, sounds like one of the worst albums known to man, or does it? Darkthrone's Transylvanian Hunger is hardly the type of music you would think of when the word masterpiece is spoken, but that's exactly what they've managed to achieve with this offering, and its nothing short of astounding.

To be quite honest upon first listen, I hated this album, its everything that makes a shitty album, the production is so bad its almost unbelievable, there are probably demo tapes out there with better production. Secondly the guitar riffs are sparse, with maybe 2-4 riffs a track. The drums are pretty much the same throughout the entire album, and the bass pretty much mirrors the guitar. So why then have I called this album a masterpiece. Its very simple, despite the shitty production, despite the lack of variation, and musical technicality, this album simply creates one of the darkest, hypnotizing and evil atmospheres of any black metal album. The riffs may not be varied or very technical and mind-blowing but they are incredibly infectious and the way they are produced with that very thin fuzzy sound makes it just sound so dark and evil. The repetition actually works in favor of the albums atmosphere because it produces a sort of hypnotic effect where the listener gets drawn in. Even the terrible production works in favor of the atmosphere, making the album sound like it was recorded right in the middle of a winter snow storm.

The reason this album works is because it captures the essence of true black metal, it sounds genuinely cold, dark, evil, and menacing. Its rough and unpolished, and has all the trappings of a shitty album and yet it winds up being one the greatest black metal albums ever released, how they accomplished this I will never know, all I can say is there are no substitutes for the real deal when it comes to raw black metal, this is Darkthrone in their purest, coldest form. If you are new to raw black metal, I would advise giving this album ample time before chucking it aside as just a terribly produced bore, and take some time to let the atmosphere soak in.

Final Rating 95 %