Darkthrone - Circle the Wagons

April 6, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

Darkthrone has managed to survive the dismal disarray of its Norwegian scene rife with controversy going on three decades now. While their line of releases is impressive and the band’s prolific standard is to be admired, their career  is not without its mishaps. In short, not everything has been Scandinavian-pure, so to speak. A couple of clunkers have managed to assert themselves within the Darkthrone cloak, but we’ve all seen radical changes and dramatic turnabouts from virtually every band, and Fenriz has proven time and again that he can create and surprise with the best of them.

Circle the Wagons immediately sounds like a punk/metal fusion that has promise. When the Tom G. Warrior vocals kick in you can either start banging your head to the old-school punk feel or whip the CD across the room in a fit of rage that Darkthrone has abandoned its church burning roots for something less volatile. Either way, the reaction might well be an extreme one to old fans that recall the Transylvanian Hunger era with both reverence and sadness that it seems to be a hundred years gone. From the opening track, “Those Treasures Will Never Befall You” the mood is a very ‘80s L.A. punk scene, which caught my prejudiced attention since I love the punk movement from that period. Now the CD can either become stagnant in that formula and fall flat or it can change within and either progress or bore you. It depends on you and your willingness to accept some change. I’d have to say it bored me more than I’d thought it might.  

It’s quite hard to steer clear of Internet buzz on a leaked album or whatnot, and the few comments I had managed to see spoke of the obvious punk influence, so I knew what to expect going in. I was both apprehensive and excited, though. As a Darkthrone fan from the early days I know well how Fenriz and Nocturno Culto like to mix things up a bit these days, so I was ready for pretty much anything. As the CD moved along I was treated to some decent music, but something just sounded too stripped down for its own good. The production reads like a D.O.A. or Flipper manual, straight from the back room of a two-flat in the middle of nowhere, which is charming at first, but gets old pretty quickly. Still, that doesn’t necessarily make or break a release for me, especially when dealing with a black metal band (or one that used to be).

So, as for the tunes themselves, they are okay to hear once around the fountain, but I’m not sure the punkish Celtic Frost thing is going to take with most fans. It has moments of clarity and intensity, but they are too few and far between to create any real long-lasting resonance. I’m not entirely sure if the vocals are good or bad, to be honest. I didn’t find them annoying or sedating, but they are just rehashing of something mastered some 25-years ago by the Swiss masters. I understand the desire for these Norwegian bands to break free of the stigma unfairly attached to them, but there’s usually a hit-or-miss element to that and this misses the mark and lands somewhere in between. Circle the Wagons might just be the solution to what many Darkthrone fans of old might wish to do in the face of this release.

There’s always something to be said for a prolific band putting out multitudinous releases that resonate and stimulate accordingly, but this one just doesn’t hit hard enough to solidify that sweet aftertaste one gets after taking in a stellar release from a great band. Darkthrone might be moving into another arena, but the past is always alive and the fan base is a fickle collective indeed. You’ll love it or hate it, but you will definitely leave in a state of wonderment one way or another.

I’m wondering if the silly folkish sing-along of the title track is indicative of the future of the band, a somewhat disappointing prospect.

Release Date: April 5, 2010 
Label: Peaceville Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  Those Treasures Will
     Never Befall You
2.  Running for Borders
3.  I Am the Graves of the 80s
4.  Stylized Corpse
5.  Circle the Wagons
6.  Black Mountain Totem
7.  I Am the Working Class
8.  Eyes Burst At Dawn
9.  Bränn Inte Slottet

Total playing time:  40:50

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments: