Not many bands can claim the release of 20 albums, but now Darkthrone join that company with It Beckons Us All. The record, which per the usual is the conjoined child of Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, is much more than the black metal components with which the band was founded.
Right from the outset of “Howling Primitive Colonies” it is apparent that doom is an essential cog in this listening experience as well, which fits well within the other 2024 project Fenriz is also involved in with the recent release of the first Coffin Storm LP.
“Eon 3” as the second track might be the unlikeliest third part of a song I can think of, going all the way back to the band’s debut Soulside Journey and its closer “Eon.” It has seen two follow-ups in the form of Astral Fortress’ “Eon 2” and now a third part this time on consecutive albums. It really doesn’t have to make logical sense, Darkthrone do what they do and we are just here for our own edification.
“Black Dawn Affiliation” is a big riffing jam session that really plays well into the combination of the black and doom styles with more of an epic vocal flair, one that Fenriz is not shy about using on more recent Darkthrone albums in the last 15 years or so.
The album closes with the strangely melodic epic “The Lones Pines Of The Lost Planet” which reaches just over 10 minutes. The album’s production is what helps to add to its overall sound. It is recorded in such a way that it feels like it is using older production to make some of these tracks feels as though they were unearthed Pagan Altar recordings, even if they are 2024 cuts.
The track plods along at its own pace being balanced by fat riffs and simple drum beats with the symbols high in the mix and making for a more than fitting closer and another notch in the belt of Norway’s finest. It Beckons Us All to gather around the fire and partake in more stories from one of metal’s greatest bands, containing one of the genre’s greatest flagbearers.
(released April 26, 2024 on Peaceville Records)
