Norway’s finest and legendary duo Darkthrone doesn’t really need a formal introduction and the new enigmatic studio album “Astral Fortress” is the legit product of an ongoing sonic evolution blending variegated heavy metal influences.
“Caravan Of Broken Ghosts” begins with crestfallen acoustic phrases and guitars gradually acquire lugubrious doom tonalities enhanced by tormented vocals still following a slower tempo with occasional raw rhythmic blasts.
The strength of “Stalagmite Necklace” certainly relies on the primal approach of the memorable guitar work and the extremely gloomy tonalities enriched by fragile atmospheric arrangements conveying wintry vibes.
At the center of the album lies the lengthy cryptic opus “The Sea Beneath the Seas of the Sea” which combines moody atmospheric textures and gritty riffage generating doom laden rhythmic patterns and some faster blackened blasts.
Everything is inevitably dark within the mysterious atmosphere of “Eon 2” but the fiery guitar riffs can easily evoke a glorious heavy metal essence to build solid groovy dynamics.
With the release of “Astral Fortress” Darkthrone just seems unstoppable and continues to solidify their legacy as Nocturno Culto and Fenriz embark on another obscure journey channeling old school black metal and classic doom.