Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All (Album Review)

Posted on April 26, 2024 by andrewkapper

Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All
Released: April 26th, 2024

Line Up:

Fenriz // Drums/Vocals/Bass/Guitars
Nocturno Culto // Vocals/Guitars/Bass

Darkthrone online:

A product of the infamous early-90s Norwegian Black Metal scene, Darkthrone have become cult legends within the extreme and alternative music community thanks to their uncompromising stylistic journeys and unique career trajectory. Having shied away from live performances since the turn of the millennium, the duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have instead poured their creative energy into composing and releasing music with clockwork efficiency. Their newest opus, It Beckons Us All, is no less than Darkthrone’s 21st studio full length, and their fourth in five years following 2022’s Astral Fortress.

Reflecting the LP’s sleeve, the space-y retro synth intro of ‘Howling Primitive Colonies‘ quickly gives way to a mid-paced riff and groove; the slower tempo and atmosphere highlighting the doom influence that reared it’s head on 2021’s Eternal Hails is still lurking. While the opener starts strong, it must be said that it starts to drag by the end of the six-and-a-half-minute run-time; fortunately, things are all uphill from here. The following ‘Eon 3‘ contains some of the best riffage of It Beckons Us All. The track moves from galloping NWOBHM territory through fields of proto-black metal into an immense death-doom ending passage. It’s a shame Darkthrone doesn’t perform live because the song’s fist-pumping middle section is built for the stage. The first single ‘Black Dawn Affiliation‘ ups the BPMs, Fenriz pushing Nocturno Culto along with rolling fills and a driving beat. In what has become a Darkthrone trademark, the back half of the track boasts a darkly melodic guitar hook, with the group repeating and building upon the motif til it comes to a haunting conclusion.

The fantastic artwork reflects the sci-fi-themed lyrics; with the only real ‘space’ influence on the sound perhaps the usage of clean vocals, almost giving the record a 70s prog rock vibe at times. Of course, It Beckons Us All is housed in rough and raw production; very much the rehearsal room sound – with elements of in-studio effects, overdubs, and aforementioned keys and synthesizers to flesh out the sonic spectrum. ‘And In That Moment I Knew The Answer‘ is an engaging instrumental piece, unexpectedly showcasing more technical playing with the melodic guitar hooks, bass licks, and lead lines, while ‘The Bird People of Nordland‘ has more great guitar work from Darkthrone, the album’s centerpiece wading through multiple movements, with tempo changes and riffs galore – even some screaming whammy bar licks. The most doom-influence piece aptly closes the record, with the 10-minute epic ‘The Lone Pines of the Lost Planet‘ boasting some of It Beckons Us All’s most experimental moments. The clean guitar intro builds and builds before smashing into a massive Black Sabbath-like wall. Resisting the urge to pick up the pace, Darkthrone draws out the LP finale, with the creeping false-ending of tremolo guitars and reverberating drums being shattered by an epic old-school metal climax. A deservedly epic closer.

It Beckons Us All confidently shows that after almost four decades in the game, Darkthrone are far from slowing down or compromising. The songs and riffs are powerful and grabbing, with this new album packing some of the duo’s most immediately satisfying material to date; especially in the doom-inspired realm they currently occupy. A band who have claimed their place in the extreme metal history books despite (or perhaps, thanks to) their refusal to create anything other than write the music they want to hear, Darkthrone’s focus on true artistic expression and creativity in the underground metal world remains unbroken on It Beckon Us All.