I honestly don’t know how much more Celtic Frost and Hellhammer worship we are supposed to take from Darkthrone. At this point, ‘Pre-Historic Metal’ feels like another trip through Fenriz and Nocturno Culto’s old record collection, except there is very little mystery left about what you are going to hear once the first riff kicks in.
I have nothing against Celtic Frost or Hellhammer. Quite the opposite. Those records are classics and will always be worth going back to. But that is exactly the problem here. If I want to listen to Celtic Frost or Hellhammer, I can put their old albums on. Darkthrone used to take those influences, mix them with their own ideas and come out sounding like Darkthrone. On this album, the references are becoming so obvious that they sometimes overshadow the band themselves.
There are still good riffs here. Nocturno Culto gets a suitably filthy guitar sound and there is enough weight in the production to make the album enjoyable without sounding like some modern studio job. Fenriz is doing what he has always done, keeping the drums loose and straightforward rather than turning the songs into some technical exercise. When the riffs hit properly, you can still hear why this band has lasted as long as they have.
The problem is that there simply aren’t enough of those moments. A lot of the songs seem happy to sit on a riff for longer than necessary, and the old school approach starts becoming predictable. Darkthrone have always understood repetition, but their best records made those repeated riffs stick in your head. Here, there are sections that feel more like an extended jam around an idea that was never really developed.
The vocals are another mixed bag. Fenriz’s rough delivery fits the primitive approach and I would much rather hear him sound like himself than suddenly start singing clean or trying to impress anybody. But again, there are moments where it feels as though the established Darkthrone sound is doing most of the work. The attitude is there, but the songs do not always have enough character behind it.
Then we get to the artwork, or more specifically that photograph of Fenriz standing there with what looks like some kind of garden or dirt-gripping tool, covered in actual dirt. It is ridiculous, but I have to admit I prefer this to another overly serious Black Metal painting pretending to be ancient and forbidden. There is at least some personality in it, and the fact that the dirt actually came from working on the lawn makes the whole thing even more typically Fenriz.
But it also raises another question. How long can Darkthrone keep leaning on this same image of themselves before it stops being funny and simply becomes predictable? The primitive artwork, the old metal worship, the Celtic Frost references, the Hellhammer influence and Fenriz turning up looking like he has just finished gardening all fit together perfectly. It is unmistakably Darkthrone, but perhaps that is now part of the problem. Everything is so recognisable that there is very little left to surprise you.
I don’t expect Darkthrone to suddenly become a Progressive Metal band, and nobody wants them to start chasing modern production or whatever happens to be fashionable this year. Their refusal to follow trends has always been part of their appeal. But there is a difference between staying true to yourself and becoming so comfortable with your own formula that you stop pushing it anywhere.
That is where ‘Pre-Historic Metal’ loses me.
The Celtic Frost and Hellhammer influence is not a problem by itself. Darkthrone have been openly worshipping that era for years. It becomes a problem when the influence starts becoming more interesting than the songs. There are times here when I find myself thinking about ‘Morbid Tales’ or ‘Apocalyptic Raids’ instead of what Darkthrone are actually doing. That should not be happening on a Darkthrone album.
The strange thing is that these two have already proved they can take their influences and make something that becomes influential itself. The early Black Metal records were built from plenty of existing ideas, but Darkthrone twisted them into something that became their own. Those albums did not sound like a tribute act trying to recreate somebody else’s glory days. They sounded like a band discovering its own identity.
‘Pre-Historic Metal’ feels much more comfortable than that. It sounds like two musicians who know exactly what they like, know exactly how they want to sound and no longer feel any need to move outside that comfort zone.
And maybe that is enough for some listeners. There will be plenty of Darkthrone fans who hear the opening riffs, see Fenriz covered in dirt with his gardening equipment and immediately know they are home. Fair enough. But for me, after so many years of Celtic Frost and Hellhammer worship, the whole thing is becoming increasingly familiar.
There are decent riffs here, the guitar sound works, the production suits the material and the humour is still there. I just wish there was more of the old Darkthrone unpredictability underneath it all. The band have earned their reputation, but they should not have to rely on that reputation to carry every new record.
‘Pre-Historic Metal’ is not a disaster, but I feel Darkthrone are getting far too complacent, and comfortable for a band that once made the underground feel anything but comfortable.
