There seems to be a logic from certain bands, that as Darkthrone had really ropey production on their initial recordings then the only way to stay true to the musical form of raw black metal is to continue that in the current day. Hey guys, I hate to break it to you, but the reason that the early Darkthrone releases sound so bad is that this is all the money they had at the time, and then they released them on tape! There is no logic at all for albums to sound this poor in 2017, given the digital production techniques that are available to all. It is a real shame, as these guys obviously know what they are doing, and anyone who covers a song by Mayhem is always going to win brownie points in my book (saw them in concert a few years ago – they were incredible!). According to the PR company they are providing some of the most raging, sinister and unhinged underground metal this side of the Styx. But, they need to sort out the production before I decided to play it again – it may not be dire, but certainly not what I expect in the digital age.
