Band:	Darkthrone
Album:	Dark Thrones And Black Flags
Style:	Crust punk, Black metal, Heavy metal
Release date:	October 2008

01. The Winds They Called The Dungeon Shaker
02. Oath Minus
03. Hiking Metal Punx
04. Blacksmith Of The North
05. Norway In September
06. Grizzly Trade
07. Hanging Out In Haiger
08. Dark Thrones And Black Flags
09. Launchpad To Nothingness
10. Witch Ghetto

It's another year and that means another offering from Darkthrone's dynamic duo of Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell and Ted "Nocturno Culto" Skjellum. Their latest opus, "Dark Thrones and Black Flags" marks their fifth release in the last six years and their 14th release since 1991's "Soulside Journey."

"Dark Thrones?" continues to see the band fuse elements of their traditional sound as well as their metal and punk influences into one caustic witches brew. The end result is that "DKaBF" sounds like the bastard union of their take on the more traditional metal sound of "F.O.A.D." with the bombast and energy of their crustpunk influenced "The Cult is Alive" - and it's a damn enjoyable album.

Their latest effort clocks in at the usual near 40 minutes, this time with a full 10 tracks whereas in the past most Darkthrone albums had six to eight songs. The end result is songs that are shorter, more driven, and more to the point.

The strongest aspect of the new album is the guitar work. Guitar duties were split between Nocturno and Fenriz, and it seems both showed up at Necrohell II studio with their "A" material. For the most part, the songs are dynamic, shifting riffs and tempos, and each song as at least one really cool riff that makes you take notice. Nothing earth-shattering that will have <insert your favorite axe deity here> furrowing his brow and spending hours sequestered in the back of the tour bus trying to decipher, but good, solid metal craftsmanship that will have you tossing the horns and raising some pints.

Vocal duties, as with the riff creation duties, were split between Gylve and Ted. The vocals were slightly annoying at first as they're all recorded a little heavy on the reverb, but that was easy to get used to/over on repeated listens. They do get a bit expressive at times, much to my chagrin, as with the slightly over dramatic chorus to the opening track? "the winds? they called? THE DUNGEON SHAKERRRRRRR!!!, but it all adds to the enjoyment of the album.

Fenriz put in a Fenriz-like performance behind the kit, with the drums pounding along, propelling the songs forward purposefully. As with the riffing, nothing fancy, just a good workmanlike skins to back-up the riffs and keep the energy high.

Production is pretty much what you'd expect from Darkthrone. They've their own portable studio. They pick a weekend, they each bring their respective instruments and a couple cases of beer, meet up, plug in, and get to recording. Nothing fancy here, folks.

I've used the phrase "nothing fancy" a couple times over the course of this review because "Dark Thrones and Black Flags" isn't anything fancy. It's Darkthrone. It's ugly. It's rough. It's dirty. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

If you like the direction Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have taken since "Hate Them", by all means, check this out. If you're one of those that don't like anything they've recorded since "Panzerfaust", maybe your time would be better spent raiding your mom's make-up cabinet and posing in your back yard at night with whatever implements of landscaping you have handy.

Stand out tracks: "The Winds?", "Oath Minus", "Norway in September", and "Witch Ghetto"