Darkthrone: The Cult Is Alive
Black Metal
Moonfog Productions
February 27th, 2006
  1. The Cult Of Goliath - 4:02
  2. Too Old, Too Cold - 3:04
  3. Atomic Coming - 4:51
  4. Graveyard Slut - 4:04
  5. Underdogs And Overlords - 4:02
  6. Whisky Funeral - 3:59
  7. De Underjordiske (Ælia Capitolina) - 3:14
  8. Tyster På Gud - 3:09
  9. Shut Up - 4:46
  10. Forebyggende Krig - 3:41

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Review information:
- Release length: 38:52
- Review posted on January 29th, 2009
Discography
Full-Length(s): Soulside Journey (1991) | A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992) | Under a Funeral Moon (1993) | Transilvanian Hunger (1994)
Panzerfaust (1995) | Total Death (1996) | Goatlord (1996) | Ravishing Grimness (1999)
Plaguewielder (2001) | Hate Them (2003) | Sardonic Wrath (2004) | The Cult Is Alive (2006)
F.O.A.D. (2007) | Dark Thrones and Black Flags (2008) | Circle the Wagons (2010)
Demo(s): A New Dimension (1988) | Land of Frost (1988) | Cromlech (1989) | Thulcandra (1989)
Split(s)/Compilation(s): Preparing for War (2000) | Preparing for War (Special Edition) (2005) | Frostland Tapes (2008)
EP(s): Under Beskyttelse av Morke (2005) | Too Old, Too Cold (2006) | NWOBHM (2007)
CD Single(s): Forebyggende Krig (2006)
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed.
Review
Once again, Darkthrone has mixed up their musical style. And, just like expected, once again, more fans are outraged further by the music presented on one of the band's latest releases. The Cult Is Alive seems to be stirring up a lot of controversy from people who claim to be fans, but clearly don't understand the inspirations behind the band for it's style of music. This is saddening since The Cult Is Alive is easily one of the best albums this band has released since A Blaze In The Northern Sky.

Throughout their career, the band has used riffs and musical moments reminiscent to those of bands that helped inspire this style (typically categorized as being in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement), as well as taking an extremely heavy influence from punk and crust bands from the same time period. Well, the band has embraced that style of music, adding their own characteristic brand of black metal, to give us one hell of a killer release with many tracks acting as a way for the band to tell all those who bash them to go to Hell. "Too Old, Too Cold" has some old school feel to it, but it's more of a modernized black metal track in the vein of more recent Darkthrone songs, aimed as a raised middle finger to those who say they suck anymore.

The band seems to have a little fun with the music on this release too. While songs like "The Cult Of Goliath" and "Atomic Coming" are amazing, you have the fun, more punk based track "Graveyard Slut", which just makes you want to get up and start moshing wherever you may be. The tracks "Whisky Funeral" and "Shut Up" would also fall into this category of somewhat fun tracks, at least lyrically, since the music seems to be more of an "in your face" attitude. But not all the songs on this release are that great. "De Underjordiske" will probably become a little boring over time, and "Tyster Pa Gud" is a great song but the bass kicks don't seem to line up right with the music a good majority of the time, as well as contains a solo with a really aggrivating distortion.

But, everyone needs to face the facts here. Darkthrone are no longer true "kvlt" Norwegian black metal. Many of thee die hard black metal fans are right on that, this release is definitely not something you would see Immortal doing as a reunion album or anything. But all of those people were bitching up a storm about this band going back to the roots of black metal, and this album is exactly what they asked for. Perhaps next time those people should be a little more specific, or at least understand where the style originated from. The Cult Is Alive is one hell of an homage to the sounds that helped start the black metal scene, and, with a few songs aside, is one hell of a release.