Plaguewielder

Plaguewielder is the eighth studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone, released on 10 September 2001 through Moonfog Productions.^[1] The record, featuring six tracks with a total runtime of 42 minutes and 50 seconds, was recorded in June 2001 at StudioStudio by the band's core duo of Fenriz (drums and vocals) and Nocturno Culto (guitars and vocals).^[2] It showcases Darkthrone's signature raw production and aggressive black metal style, with music primarily composed by Nocturno Culto and lyrics by Fenriz, alongside guest vocals from Apollyon and Sverre Dæhli on the track "Command".^[2] Following the release of their previous album Ravishing Grimness in 1999, Plaguewielder marked Darkthrone's continued shift toward incorporating rock and punk influences into their black metal sound, while maintaining the lo-fi aesthetic that defined their second-wave black metal era.^[3] The album's tracklist includes "Weakling Avenger", "Raining Murder", "Sin Origin", "Command", "I, Voidhanger", and "Wreak", emphasizing mid-tempo riffs, atmospheric elements, and themes of darkness and aggression typical of the band's lyrical content.^[4] Recorded as a two-piece project, it exemplifies Darkthrone's minimalist approach, with all instruments handled internally without external session musicians beyond the noted guests.^[2] Upon its initial release, Plaguewielder garnered mixed critical reception, praised for its energetic consistency and solid black metal execution but often critiqued for lacking the memorable highlights of earlier classics like Transilvanian Hunger.^[3] User reviews on platforms such as Encyclopaedia Metallum average a 66% rating across 13 assessments, reflecting its status as a reliable but unremarkable entry in the band's discography.^[5] The album has seen multiple reissues, including a 2012 deluxe edition by Peaceville Records featuring bonus audio commentary and updated artwork by Zbigniew M. Bielak, as well as subsequent vinyl pressings by Napalm Records.^[6][7]

Background

Album development

Darkthrone's evolution from their death metal origins in the early 1990s, exemplified by their debut album Soulside Journey (1991), to a raw black metal sound by the late 1990s positioned Plaguewielder as a continuation of this established style in their eighth studio album.^[8] The band's stylistic shift began prominently with A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992), marking a deliberate move away from technical death metal toward the lo-fi aggression and atmospheric intensity characteristic of Norwegian second-wave black metal.^[8] By the time of Plaguewielder, released in 2001, Darkthrone had solidified this raw black metal approach, with the album serving as a bridge in their discography between Ravishing Grimness (1999) and later works that incorporated more rock elements.^[9] The songwriting for Plaguewielder was primarily handled by band members Fenriz (Gylve Nagell) and Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum) during 2000–2001, emphasizing a riff-based composition method typical of their collaborative process.^[9] Of the album's six tracks, five were composed by Nocturno Culto, with Fenriz contributing the music for one track, while Fenriz penned lyrics for all songs.^[9] This division highlighted Nocturno Culto's focus on melodic black metal riffs and Fenriz's influence through heavy metal-inspired elements, resulting in a cohesive yet aggressive sound.^[9] Plaguewielder was released through Moonfog Productions, an independent Norwegian label founded by Satyricon's Satyr Wongraven, underscoring Darkthrone's commitment to a DIY ethos and avoidance of major label involvement.^[10] This decision aligned with the band's long-standing independence, allowing full creative control amid their gradual incorporation of rock-influenced black metal traits, though Plaguewielder maintained the pure, unrelenting aggression of their earlier black metal era.^[9]

Band context

Darkthrone formed in 1986 in Kolbotn, Norway, initially as a death metal band under the name Black Death, with early releases like the demos Thrashcore (1986) and Black is Beautiful (1987) showcasing technical death influences akin to contemporaries such as Obituary and Sepultura.^[11] The band transitioned to black metal with their 1992 album A Blaze in the Northern Sky, but it was Transilvanian Hunger in 1994 that cemented their legacy within the genre, characterized by raw production, tremolo-picked riffs, and frostbitten atmospheres that epitomized the Norwegian black metal sound.^[12] By the time of Plaguewielder, Darkthrone had solidified as a two-man project featuring Fenriz (Gylve Nagell) on drums and vocals alongside Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum) on guitar and vocals, a lineup stable since 1994 following the departure of earlier members like bassist Dag Nilsen and guitarist Zephyrous.^[13] This duo format emphasized their self-sufficient, lo-fi ethos, allowing Fenriz and Nocturno Culto to handle all instrumentation and production without external collaborators.^[13] As key figures in the second wave of Norwegian black metal, Darkthrone drew inspiration from pioneers like Mayhem's chaotic intensity and Burzum's atmospheric isolationism, yet distinguished themselves through pronounced punk and thrash metal edges—evident in their raw energy, straightforward song structures, and nods to bands like Discharge and Celtic Frost.^[14] These elements infused their black metal with a gritty, street-level aggression that set them apart from more symphonic or occult-leaning peers in the scene.^[15] Plaguewielder, released in 2001, followed directly after Ravishing Grimness in 1999, exemplifying Darkthrone's consistent output during a period when the duo maintained a notably reclusive profile, shunning mainstream promotion and media appearances to focus on creative autonomy amid the black metal scene's notoriety.^[9][16]

Recording and production

Studio sessions

The recording of Plaguewielder took place over approximately one month in June 2001 at Studio Studio Nyhagen in Toten, Norway, a remote facility situated in the woods about 1.5 hours from Oslo.^[17][18] This isolated setting aligned with Darkthrone's preference for focused, undisturbed sessions that complemented their grim black metal aesthetic.^[18] As a duo consisting of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, the band managed most instrumentation themselves during the sessions to preserve the album's raw, energetic feel.^[4] For the bass tracks, Nocturno Culto utilized Fenriz's girlfriend's bass guitar—a 1967 Gibson Firebird—lending a personal, lo-fi character to the recordings.^[19] This self-produced approach, decided upon during the album's development, allowed the duo to maintain direct control over the process.^[4]

Technical production

The album was engineered by Dag Stokke at Studio Nyhagen, with Darkthrone members Fenriz and Nocturno Culto overseeing production and arrangements to achieve a raw aesthetic aligned with second-wave black metal conventions.^[4][1] This approach resulted in a lo-fi sonic profile that prioritizes distorted guitar riffs, relentless blasting drums, and raspy, shouted vocals, creating an unrelenting atmosphere of aggression and frostiness characteristic of the band's output during the early 2000s.^[5][20] The total runtime stands at 42:50 across six tracks, allowing extended compositions that build tension through repetitive, hypnotic structures rather than overt complexity.^[2] The artwork, designed by Fernander F. Flux, was created on location in the Jotunheimen mountains, capturing stark, desolate landscapes that evoke isolation and elemental harshness, thereby mirroring the album's auditory grimness.^[21][1] Darkthrone intentionally eschewed polished mixing techniques to preserve black metal's underground authenticity, diverging from the genre's contemporaneous shift toward clearer, more commercial productions in some Scandinavian acts.^[19][22]

Musical style and themes

Genre characteristics

Plaguewielder exemplifies core black metal characteristics through its relentless fast tempos, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, and blast beat drumming, hallmarks of the Norwegian second-wave style that Darkthrone helped pioneer.^[9] These elements drive the album's six tracks, delivering an aggressive, atmospheric assault reminiscent of the band's earlier raw black metal output while incorporating thrash metal's riff-driven intensity and punk's raw energy.^[23] The production emphasizes a cold, lo-fi crunch that amplifies the genre's frozen, northern aesthetic, with dual guitars weaving hypnotic, repetitive patterns over Fenriz's precise yet ferocious percussion.^[3] Variety emerges in mid-tempo sections, providing breathing room amid the fury.^[3] Influences from Celtic Frost's thrash-tinged proto-black metal and Enslaved's progressive flourishes appear in transitional passages, adding subtle complexity without diluting the primal aggression.^[9] This evolution from prior albums like Ravishing Grimness refines the sound—retaining blistering speed but layering in rock-oriented dynamics for deeper immersion—marking a bridge toward Darkthrone's later punk-infused experiments.^[3] The album's pacing, with tracks averaging around seven minutes, builds sustained tension through escalating builds and releases, fostering an enveloping listening experience that prioritizes mood over brevity.^[23] Overall, Plaguewielder balances black metal's extremity with accessible heavy metal nods, solidifying Darkthrone's role in genre hybridization.^[9]

Lyrical content

The lyrics of Plaguewielder delve into themes of nihilism, anti-religion, and the cosmic void, aligning with the Norwegian black metal tradition's emphasis on existential despair, misanthropy, and rejection of Christian dogma as symbols of cultural oppression.^[24][25] These motifs portray humanity's inherent flaws and modernity's decay through imagery of terror, futility, and purification via destruction, often using plague as a metaphorical force to eradicate weakness and societal corruption. In tracks like "I, Voidhanger," the lyrics evoke a cosmic void as an inescapable embrace, with phrases such as "Dreary bitter soulsets / Life runs painfully gray down the walls of time / Clenching onto the void / Laming intense shivering terror / Evilution of the mind," underscoring nihilistic isolation and the evolution of evil within the human psyche.^[26] Similarly, "Weakling Avenger" decries personal and modern frailty through lines like "Weakling avenger on grains of drain / Life wielding ultimate death / Bombastic necrohell / Seeping in bitterly / Masked beast temporarily," framing weakness as a target for unrelenting, hellish retribution.^[27] The song "Sin Origin" incorporates occult and plague metaphors to symbolize broader societal decay, as in "Forward into this battle / That no one can win / Labyrinth trench on torn land / Sin origin, sin driven / I am of pride and contempt / A crossfire volunteer / Of no belief / I am the sin origin."^[17][28] This track's anti-religious stance, rejecting belief in favor of primal sin, reinforces the album's portrayal of plague not merely as affliction but as a purifying cataclysm against humanity's moral and existential shortcomings.^[29] Harsh, screamed vocals delivered by Fenriz and Nocturno Culto amplify the misanthropic tone throughout Plaguewielder, maintaining a raw, unrelenting intensity with minimal use of clean singing to avoid diluting the visceral aggression inherent to the genre.^[4] This vocal approach, typical of Norwegian black metal's emphasis on emotional extremity, ensures the lyrical themes of void and decay resonate with unfiltered hostility.^[24]

Release

Initial edition

Plaguewielder was originally released on September 10, 2001, by Moonfog Productions, the independent label run by Satyricon frontman Satyr, in both CD and vinyl formats.^[30] The initial pressing was limited and targeted at underground audiences, with distribution primarily through niche metal retailers and mail-order services, supplemented by unofficial cassette editions in regions like Poland, Russia, and Ukraine to reach broader Eastern European fans.^[4] This approach reflected Darkthrone's commitment to the DIY ethos of the Norwegian black metal scene, avoiding mainstream channels in favor of grassroots circulation. The album's title, Plaguewielder, draws from motifs of plague, destruction, and existential desolation central to black metal's iconography, evoking apocalyptic imagery that permeates the genre's lyrical and visual traditions.^[31] Promotion for the initial edition was minimal and scene-oriented, eschewing major tours or official music videos in line with Darkthrone's longstanding aversion to live performances and commercial hype.^[32] Instead, visibility spread through fanzine interviews—such as Fenriz's discussions in outlets like Chronicles of Chaos—and word-of-mouth among black metal enthusiasts, fostering organic growth within the subculture. The launch timing, occurring the day before the September 11 terrorist attacks, placed it amid unfolding global turmoil that overshadowed many cultural releases, though its themes of chaos and ruin resonated eerily with the era's atmosphere.^[32]

Reissues

In 2012, Peaceville Records reissued Plaguewielder with updated cover artwork by Zbigniew M. Bielak, selected by the band to better reflect their aesthetic.^[33] This edition preserved the original mixes while introducing a two-disc CD format, the second disc featuring audio commentary tracks from band members Fenriz and Nocturno Culto discussing the creation and inspirations behind each song.^[34][6] Subsequent editions emerged in the 2010s, including the 2012 Peaceville deluxe 2-CD reissue and a 2013 black vinyl edition by Napalm Records, expanding availability across formats including vinyl and digital platforms, with added liner notes and commentary providing context on the album's production.^[23][7] These releases maintained the core audio from the 2001 original, emphasizing accessibility for new listeners without altering the raw sound.^[4] Minor reissues continued into the 2020s, including an unofficial cassette in 2023 by Reise In Die Dunkelheit Records and a CD slipcase edition in 2024 by Metal Army in Brazil.^[4] The reissues marked a licensing transition from the original Moonfog Productions to Peaceville Records, which handled Darkthrone's back catalog starting in the early 2010s, thereby increasing global distribution while retaining the unaltered mixes.^[34][33] In 2016, media retrospectives, including a Decibel Magazine feature, reflected on the Peaceville reissue's significance in reintroducing Plaguewielder to contemporary audiences, underscoring its enduring influence in black metal.^[3]

Reception

Contemporary reviews

Upon its release in 2001, Plaguewielder garnered limited mainstream coverage owing to the niche appeal of black metal, but it received strong endorsement from European black metal communities for upholding the genre's raw, atmospheric traditions. Metal Storm users rated it an average of 7.0 out of 10 based on 163 votes, emphasizing the album's consistent riffs and immersive atmosphere as standout elements in black metal.^[35] Reviews in underground zines and early 2000s metal publications lauded the album's authenticity, with some highlighting its unyielding adherence to black metal conventions, though others critiqued occasional repetitive structures. For instance, The Metal Crypt praised the raw, dark intensity, improved guitar work, and catchy riffs, awarding it 4.5 out of 5 stars.^[36] Similarly, Chronicles of Chaos appreciated the clean production, balanced pacing, and avoidance of monotony, giving it 8 out of 10.^[37]

Retrospective analysis

In the years following its release, Plaguewielder has been regarded as a solid yet transitional entry in Darkthrone's discography, serving as a bridge between the band's foundational black metal era and their subsequent forays into punk and heavy metal-infused rock experiments. This positioning highlights its role in maintaining the group's creative momentum during a period when the Norwegian black metal scene was evolving rapidly, with Darkthrone opting to refine their raw sound rather than chase emerging trends.^[9][3] Fan discussions on platforms like Encyclopaedia Metallum frequently underscore Plaguewielder's underrated status within the metal community, where user reviews praise its energetic riffs and atmospheric depth despite criticisms of inconsistency, resulting in an average rating of 63% based on 11 reviews as of November 2024.^[1][5] These conversations often frame the album as a hidden gem among Darkthrone's mid-period works, appealing to listeners who appreciate its unpolished aggression over more polished contemporaries. The album's legacy extends to its subtle reinforcement of lo-fi production ideals in black metal, influencing later acts that prioritize gritty, DIY aesthetics to evoke the genre's raw origins, even as Darkthrone themselves began shifting toward cleaner sounds in subsequent releases. Though not a commercial high point for the band, Plaguewielder helped sustain their relevance in a diversifying scene, as noted in 2016 anniversary retrospectives that credit it with preserving Darkthrone's core intensity amid broader stylistic changes.^[38][9]

Track listing and personnel

Track listing

All tracks on Plaguewielder were written by members of Darkthrone, with lyrics primarily by Fenriz (Gylve Nagell) and music by Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum), except for "Sin Origin," which is credited to both.^[39] The album consists of six tracks with a total runtime of 42:50 on the original CD edition, containing no bonus tracks.^[4] The original vinyl release divides the tracks across two sides: Side A contains tracks 1–3, while Side B contains tracks 4–6.^[39]

Personnel

Plaguewielder was recorded as a duo effort by Darkthrone, embodying their minimalist approach with Fenriz handling drums and additional instruments alongside production duties, while Nocturno Culto contributed guitars, bass, and vocals.^[4][19] Gylve Nagell (Fenriz) – drums, vocals, production, arrangements^[39][19] Ted Skjellum (Nocturno Culto) – guitars, bass (using Fenriz's girlfriend's bass guitar), vocals, production, arrangements^[39][19] Apollyon – additional vocals on "Command"^[2] Sverre Dæhli – additional vocals on "Command"^[2] Dag Stokke – recording engineer^[39] The artwork was created by Darkthrone and designed in Jotunheimen.^[39]