Darkthrone — Pre-Historic Metal

Pre-Historic Metal is the twenty-first studio album from the Norwegian two-piece Darkthrone. It’s an eight-track affair that’s a rough ‘n’ ready mixing pot of 70's & 80’s metal styles, with a few non-metal genre twists' n' turns to add the element of unpredictably/ surprise to the mix.

I think it’s best to put my cards on the table- I very much followed the early part of Darkthrone’s career as it unfolded, going from the death metal of their debut album Soulside Journey to the primal black metal of A Blaze in the Northern Sky. But after this, I rather lost interest- yes, years later I discovered/ very much appreciated the two BM classics that followed A Blaze…but really I had no interest in the band's output between the mid-90s and 2010’s. Then, in 2021, I stepped back into fandom after the release of Eternal Hails, with its wonderful blend of doom ‘n’ vintage metal traits... and I've been following them since, as Darkthrone really seems to have got a second wind.

With Pre-Historic Metal, they are very much spreading their metal genre net wider, but there’s still a focus on great/ hard hitting/ at times memorable riff craft, and of course a great sense of shambolic swagger.

The title track switches between neck-bending gallop and sudden speeding runs- with manically crashing drums, wonkily baying solos, and vocals that shift between barked rasps, warbling wails, and gruff-hisses. “Deeply Rooted” is all about meaty, syncopated chugging- with baying, slightly theatrical vocals. With later side roads into gunning punk/ metal territory- topped with almost roughshod Glen Danzig-like vocals.

In the album's second half, we go from the instrumental track “So I Marched To The Sunken Empire” which mixes 70’s Tangerine Dream synth searing ‘n’purr, a steady rock beat/ chiming guitar work, and goth/ shoegaze marching. The album plays out with “Eon” which shifts between prime evil chugging, baying ‘n’ wailing metallic moodiness, gunning 80’s rock-metal, and gloomy riff slugging’s.

With the sub-metal genre ropes very much cut, Pre-Historic Metal makes for a highly entertaining/ engaging ride back into 70’s and 80’s metal craft- with that distinctly shambolic-yet-slyly creative Darkthrone touches weaved in.