The Classic Metal Album Reviews:

	Title: A Blaze in the Northern Sky Artist: Darkthrone Label: Peaceville Records Release Date: 1991 Rating: 4 Skulls
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Reviewed by Requiem:
Back in the heyday of the death metal craze back in '91, black metal was not quite a commonly used term in the extreme metal scene as it is today. Back in the 80's bands like Bathory, Venom, Possessed and Celtic Frost certainly had influenced this sound and even may have been tagged as such on certain occasions. This time period is where we really saw black metal begin to really take form. Then in the early 90's, acts such as Darkthrone, Immortal, Necromantia and numerous others began creating a sound that not only gave tribute to the bands of old, but added in the some new elements that had come into play since that time. Two albums at that time that awakened these metal soaked eardrums to this black metal sound were Immortal's Diabolical Full Moon Mysticism and Darkthrone's Blaze in the Northern Sky, in which the latter made the classics section for a reason. These two albums among others really helped kick the black metal scene into the forefront where it still exists today.
The black metal albums released around this time were known for their raw, stripped down sound and usually a fairly shitty production. This was usually intentional in order to create a darker and more primitive feel, which certainly holds true for this near-masterpiece. The album begins with a haunting chant intro, which is one of the only intros that I still enjoy to this day. The album then kicks in with the trademark trebly guitar sound, which has the quality of a dull blade cutting through steel, quite effective for its intentions here. The drums and vocals completed by Fenriz, the creative force of Darkthrone, give this album the definitive pros that it so righteously deserves. Black metal vocals have never been too groundbreaking, but I'm sure a lot of the vocalists out there got their style right here. Fenriz's anguishing screams and morbid chants are unbeatable and not many can surpass the unholy effectiveness here. The highlight of the album (and all Darkthrone albums for that matter) is the unique drum style of Fenriz. His simplistic yet eccentric drum style gives all Darkthrone songs the originality and appeal that they have. He knows the right time to play fast and slow and is not afraid to vary tempos throughout the album. It is this factor alone that makes Blaze in the Northern Sky the classic that it is.
The album only contains 6 tracks, all of which are lengthy in nature. So don't think you're getting shafted with a short album, this is 40 minutes plus. Even if the album were short, it is overflowing with quality. All the tracks are solid, and many moments on the album are golden moments in black metal history. For instance, on "In the Shadow of the Horns," and "Paragon Belial" Fenriz utilizes a cowbell, which is a bit comical but it fits the songs and makes them standout tracks. On "Where the Cold Winds Blow," the fluctuation between fast and slow tempos is used to the extreme and when the fast parts hit, they have an intensely powerful result that is somehow paralleled by few. Instead of playing straight blasts, Fenriz does the alternating bass drum-snare approach, coming closer in style to a Terrorizer blast than say Krisiun. When the slow parts hit, the album reaches its peak in heaviness. All in all, the album has a loose feel to it , almost carrying very suttle punk rock characteristics to its nature. And that all ties in with the primitive feeling that is communicated through Darkthrone's music.
Blaze in the Northern Sky is nothing short of being brilliant and in my opinion is one of the most influential albums in black metal history. It's one of the first of its kind and helped to influence the scene into the blasphemous state that it is in today. I have not really liked many black metal albums since this release and it is probably due to the fact that they have nothing new to offer to the metal world. Few bands like Darkthrone, Immortal and Absu for instance offered fresh new ideas to a genre that could tend to get stale quite easily. Darkthrone have always aimed to break the boundaries of producing stale metal and therefore succeed in something unique on every release. And quite frankly Blaze in the Northern Sky is as important to black metal as Reign in Blood is important to speed metal and metal itself.

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