The "hope I die before I get old" philosophy is one which plagues every
rock
band lucky enough to have a lengthy career; so obviously, coming to grips with this dilemma becomes tougher the more extreme a band's sound. Therefore, in the
black metal
field -- commonly agreed to be the most extreme style of music on the planet -- the realization that it's often not better to burn out after all, but rather fade away a little further on down the line, can be an especially traumatic experience for both musicians and fans. Norway's
Darkthrone
clearly finds itself waist-deep in this quandary on its tenth album, 2003's
Hate Them
. Now far removed from the gang of impressionable teenagers who became as well-known for their questionable affiliation to Norway's notorious
"Inner Circle" (and the criminal element therein) as for their astoundingly primitive but equally influential early efforts,
's remaining founding duo of
Nocturno Culto
and
Fenriz
have come face to face with their inescapable musical and emotional adulthood. Sure, with its staunchly analog-worshipping recording techniques,
is hardly a
"Mutt" Lange
production, but the fact that it was supposedly recorded in a mere 26 hours serves as one of the last tenuous links to the group's primeval work. In keeping with
's career-spanning credo, formidable
rampages like
"Rust,"
"In Honour of Thy Name,"
and the painfully direct
"Fucked Up and Ready to Die"
avoid the oppressive orchestration and dizzying speeds preferred by peers like
Emperor
Mayhem
to remain rooted in the simpler, straightforward arrangements of yore. Further standout moments like
"Ytterst I Livet"
"Striving for a Piece of Lucifer"
are even more accessible, tempering their menacing titles and demonic subject matter with a series of pounding
hard rock
riffs which will prove irresistible for any self-respecting headbanger. In other words, what
lacks in complex substance is handily compensated for by
's sheer attitude and blunt force -- something that no amount of technical showboating can possibly defeat. Just how the band will cope with their ongoing march towards reluctant maturity remains to be seen. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia