Darkthrone – Dark Thrones And Black Flags (2008)

May 9, 2023

I got a bit excited during my multiple re-listens ahead of this review and for a moment thought I was coming here to write that Dark Thrones And Black Flags is my absolute favourite of the “punk”-era Darkthrone. But no, now I think on it, and digest the songs more, whilst it definitely has the coolest name (and thankfully no King Diamond vocals), it’s probably on par with F.O.A.D., and not quite as good as Cult Is Alive. Either way, Out of the four punk albums that followed Cult Is Alive (which I see as a bit darker then the rest), Dark Thrones And Black Flags is the one I return to the most.

Production is very similar to both F.O.A.D. and Circle The Wagons, but my good heavens, the songs on this thing. “The Winds They Called The Dungeon Shaker” and “Hiking Metal Punks” are worth the price of admission alone. As far as side B goes, the title track and the closer, “Witch Ghetto” are absolute belters.

IDK I’m just rambling at this point, this is great – get with the crust or get the fuck out.