Dark Essence will be releasing a new live 7" from Taake early next year entitled "Svartekunst". Four tracks, including a cover of "Over fjell og gjennom torner" by Darkthrone.

Top 10s for 2007: Mattias Alkberg (The Bear Quartet/MABD)

Darkthrone
F.O.A.D.
Tyrant Syndicate/Peaceville

This is the filthiest, most numbskulled black-thrash album I've heard in years and years and I absolutely mean that in the best way possible. Most bands progress and become more refined as the years go by, but Darkthrone retreats and regresses, always getting closer and closer to the pure black metal sounds of originators such as Venom and Bathory. I still love the sophistication of so-called BM elites such as Emperor, but Darkthrone does a much better job of personifying everything that metal should be about. This is music for the dejected and rejected, the kind of stuff that revels in being a no-class dirtball. The title track says it all: "Fuck off and die!" If you don't like it, it's because you're not supposed to.

It's also worth noting that the so-called unproduced recording on this still sounds thousands of times better than any other modern metal album. No lame triggered drums, no wall of over-compressed guitars, nothing but the purest essentials. Everything is crisp and well-balanced and guess what? Even the bass is loud and clear. Amazing!
- Avi Roig

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Kristofer Åström - Just a little insane
02. TALK 1
03. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
04. Sambassadeur - Subtle changes
05. Niccokick - Love & neon lights
06. TALK 2
07. Death By Kite - Bhf. Asta
08. The Alpine - Iceland
09. Pluxus - Bootstrap
10. TALK 3
11. Graveyard - Thin line
12. Hospital - Something in the water
13. Attrap - Just a word away
14. TALK 4
15. Jonna Lee - I wrote this song
16. Paper - My life is going under
17. Broder Daniel - You bury me
18. TALK 5
19. Radio LXMBRG - Score on the floor
20. Maia Hirasawa - Gothenburg
21. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
22. Det Gamla Landet - Det heliga landet
23. TALK 6
24. Paris - When I laid my eyes on you
25. No Hope for the Kids - Rainy day
26. Sir Eric Beyond and the Avant-Garde - If this is the way
27. Barra Head - Overseas
28. TALK 7
29. Superfamily - Warszawa
30. Oskar Schönning - S
31. Brick - Automen
32. TALK 8
33. Miss Li - Leave my man alone
34. Kasper Bjørke - Liquid propagnosia
35. Loveninjas - I wanna be like Johnny C
36. Anti Cimex - Only in dreams
37. TALK 9
38. Pan Sonic - Virta 1

Here's a new interview with the always-entertaining Fenriz of Darkthrone: http://www.lucemfero.com/Darkthrone102007.php

Stylus is not stoked on the new Darkthrone album "F.O.A.D": http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/Darkthrone/foad.htm
Myself, on the other hand - I love it.

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
02. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
03. Alejandro Fuentes - Tomorrow only knows
04. Dance With A Stranger - Everyone needs a friend - The Very Best of DWAS
05. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
06. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
07. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
08. Jørn Hoel - På grunn av dæ
09. Sigvart Dagsland - Forandring
10. Solveig Slettahjell - Domestic songs
11. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
12. GT-Sara - På farten med full rulle
13. Leif Ove Andsnes - Ballad for Edvard Grieg
14. Postgirobygget - Tidløs
15. Finn Kalvik - Bjerke/Hagerup/Kalvik
16. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D
17. Susanne Sundfør - Susanne Sundfør
18. Inger Lise Rypdal - Ansikter
19. The Fernets - The Fernets
20. Superfamily - Warszawa

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Lars Winnerbäck - Innan mörkret faller
02. TALK 1
03. TIAC - Boredom
04. Brainbombs - Who can you trust
05. Ted Gärdestad - Helena
06. TALK 2
07. Björn Kleinhenz - China Blue
08. Viktor Sjöberg - The sensation of your head on my chest
09. Marvins Revolt - Deliberate deeds
10. TALK 3
11. Abalone Dots - Under the rain
12. The Bear Quartet - The lost kid office
13. Lo-Fi-Fnk - Wake up
14. Watain - Underneath the cenotaph
15. TALK 4
16. The Tiny - Closer
17. Supersilent - 8.4
18. Anna Ternheim - Today is a good day
19. TALK 5
20. The Skull Defekts - The secret
21. Lukestar - White shade
22. Pay TV - Fashion report
23. Wolfpack - Enter the gates
24. TALK 6
25. Tigerbombs - Shaking the tree
26. Familjen - Ivanhoe & Rebecca
27. Giant Robot - Public = shopping
28. Eskju Divine - Hold on
29. TALK 7
30. The Bell - On and on
31. DHG - The snuff dreams are made of
32. Trio Mediaeval - Det lisle bånet
33. TALK 8
34. Peter Bjorn and John - It beats me every time
35. Margaret Berger - Seek I'll hide
36. Kaizers Orchestra - Kontroll på kontinentet
37. TALK 9
38. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D.

This week's top 20 Norwegian album chart:

01. Henning Kvitnes - Stemmer i gresset
02. Vidar Johnsen & Peter Nordberg - Ord & Øgonblick
03. Alejandro Fuentes - Tomorrow only knows
04. Raga Rockers - Ubermensch
05. Minor Majority - Candy store (2 CD edition)
06. Sigvart Dagsland - Forandring
07. Jørn Hoel - På grunn av dæ
08. Valkyrien Allstars - Valkyrien Allstars
09. Dance With A Stranger - Everyone needs a friend - The Very Best of DWAS
10. Black Debbath - Hyller kvinnen
11. Trond-Viggo Torgersen - Det du kan + noe rart & noe nytt
12. GT-Sara - På farten med full rulle
13. Darkthrone - F.O.A.D
14. Vazelina Bilopphøggers - Bensin på bålet
15. Finn Kalvik - Bjerke/Hagerup/Kalvik
16. Bjølsen Valsemølle - Over elva
17. Leif Ove Andsnes - Ballad for Edvard Grieg
18. Leieboerne - Følg oss hjem Ole Paus
19. Superfamily - Warszawa
20. Kari Bremnes - Live

MIC Norway has new profile pieces up for both Darkthrone and Solveig Slettahjell.

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. TALK 1
02. Repoman - Chemically obsessed
03. Moder Jords Massiva - Vapen
04. Kornstad Trio - Intornette
05. TALK 2
06. Ghost Brigade - Autoemotive
07. Rather Sound Than Safe - The beat
08. September - My neighbourhood
09. TALK 3
10. Ebba Grön - 800°
11. Torpedo - My evil twin
12. Jonna Lee - Dried out eyes
13. TALK 4
14. Marvins Revolt - Bugs in time
15. Pimentola - Death is a secret
16. Nils Berg - Sailors fighting in the dance hall
17. TALK 5
18. Lampshade - By and by I come
19. Midnight Choir - Will you carry me across the water
20. Moonbabies - Walking on my feet
21. TALK 6
22. Candlemass - Elephant star
23. Front and the Factory Lies Beneath - Under a black sun
24. Cortex - Warrior night (live)
25. TALK 7
26. The Grizzly Twister - This city is a halo
27. New Decade - I guess you ran from something
28. The Grand Opening - Don't drop off
29. TALK 8
30. The Bear Quartet - I'm still her
31. Paper - My life is going under
32. Darkthrone - Wisdom of the dead
33. Detektivbyrån - Nattöppet
34. TALK 9
35. Mob - Ghost track
36. Fare You Well - Deceiving eyes
37. TALK 10

MP3: Darkthrone - Canadian metal

Darkthrone has a new EP called "NWOBHM", as in "New wave of black heavy metal". Of course, being Darkthrone, there's not really anything 'new' about it. The band prides themselves on embodying all that is kvlt, grim and true in Norwegian black-metal, or as Fenriz says himself, "How much primitive can you can?" (fast-forward to 1:20 before the end) So yeah, think Venom, not fellow Nordsmen Emperor. Also consider, again - this being Darkthrone, that there's gonna be some wackiness. If the tounge-in-cheek EP title wasn't enough, consider "Canadian metal". Um, really? When I think Canadian metal, I think of Voivod and Gorguts, two bands that sound nothing like Darkthrone. Actually, it starts to make a bit more sense when you google the lyrics and find threads like this featuring much more learned metal historians. In a way, Darkthrone seems to be reverting to an almost-Manowar level of singlemindedness. Not that that's a bad thing - someone's got to carry the torch. Besides, Manowar's over-obessive singlemindedness is one of the reasons they're so great. I'd say the same is true for Darkthrone. Stay true!

Darkthrone - Canadian metal

The playlist for this week's radio show:

01. Laakso - Worst case scenario
02. TALK 1
03. Superfamily - I want my money back
04. The Bear Quartet - Ask me don't axe me
05. Ståålfågel - Små gröna män
06. TALK 2
07. Printer - Satisfaction (radio edit)
08. NEI - New morning
09. Paper - Out of it into it
10. Darkthrone - Canadian metal
11. TALK 3
12. Sweatmaster - Animal
13. Bloodbath - Buried by the dead
14. Moneybrother - Guess who's gonna get some tonight
15. TALK 4
16. The Perishers - Victorious
17. The Skull Defekts - Unholy drums are singing
18. Hell On Wheels - Alexander
19. TALK 5
20. Karin Ström - Ordlös
21. Kompjotr Eplektrika - Skulldrummantra
22. Scraps of Tape - How your heart gets thrown
23. TALK 6
24. Brainbombs - Stinking memory
25. M:40 - Brännmärkt
26. Logh - Bring on the ether
27. TALK 7
28. CS Nielsen - Happy
29. Amorphis - Weaving the incantation
30. Juvelen - Hanna
31. TALK 8
32. Killerchaps - Equally dumb
33. Dinosau - Derr lady
34. Knugen Faller - Inte som ni
35. TALK 9
36. The Kissaway Trail - La la song
37. Pg.Lost - Yes I am
38. Suburban Kids with Biblical Names - Marry me
39. TALK 10
40. Don Juan Dracula - Take me home

A Tune A Day has a brand new track from Darkthrone: http://dalen.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/Darkthrone-canadian-metal/

Darkthrone will release the new EP "NWOBHM" ("New Wave Of Black Heavy Metal") in late July and will be released on both CD and 7" vinyl. Tracklist:

01. Wisdom of the dead (EP version)
02. Canadian metal (CD only)
03. Hedninger fra helvete ("Heathens from hell", exclusive track)
04. Bad attitude (Testors cover, CD only)

As for the much-anticipated new album, that one's called "F.O.A.D." ("Fuck off and die") and will be out in September. Tracklist:

01. These shores are damned
02. Canadian metal
03. The church of real metal
04. The banners of old
05. Fuck off and die
06. Splitkein fever
07. Raised on rock
08. Pervertor of the 7 gates
09. Wisdom of the dead

Darkthrone, one of the few bands that seems to get better and better with age.