Back catalogue: Metal

Review: One of the most vital projects to come out of the nineties Norwegian black metal scene, 'A Blaze In The Northern Sky', marked the full transition of Darkthrone into the malevolent force they would become renowned for. With seminal genre classics such as, 'In The Shadow Of The Horns', and, 'A Pagan Winter', many would argue that the duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have been even more intrinsic to the scene than the likes of Euronymous of Mayhem or Emperor's Insahn. Regardless of where your frosted allegiance lays, this 30th anniversary edition grants a pristine rethread of a cold, raw, unfathomable beast of Carpathian horrors.

Review: Originally released in 1994, Transilvanian Hunger would serve as the fourth full-length from one of Norway's true black metal sons Darkthrone, who are often mentioned in the same frosted breath as Mayhem, Emperor, and Burzum (with controversial figure Varg Vikernes himself even penning the lyrics to four cuts on this very album). The band's first LP to be recorded as the duo of Nocturno Culto and Fenriz (a line-up they've maintained ever since) following the departure of Zephyrous the year prior, the project is often heralded as the final instalment of their quintessential trilogy beginning with 1992's A Blaze In The Northern Sky, and 1993's Under A Funeral Moon, while the year of its release also saw the sentencing of Burzum's Vikernes for the murder of Mayhem's Euronymous, marking an incredibly tumultuous time in the second wave Norwegian Black Metal scene that saw the genre garner exposure for all of the worst, yet macabrely fitting reasons. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, this reissue comes on a limited "corona" black and white smash vinyl.