Darkthrone members Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have been entrusted by Peaceville to create their own sublabel called Tyrant Syndicate Productions. Nocturno comments:

Peaceville on the one hand and Fenriz and myself on the other. The general running of the label has fallen on me, mostly as I'm much more involved in technology than Fenriz, and besides, I want to do it. When the Peaceville people were interested in setting up a label for us, our mind began to circle around what to do with what can be called our extended music-related freedom, and we soon had a plan.

We are aiming for exclusive releases only. We want high-credibility underground bands, both known and unknown. Time is working FOR US now, and we have all the time in the world. Tyrant Syndicate Productions will prove to the metal community that we have the ability to release what is supreme metal. The first band we have signed is Aura Noir from Oslo, with their new album "The Merciless". This masterpiece will be an indication on the quality-level we are aiming for, and therefore it's our responsibility to follow things up after this release. Since our releases go through the usually Peaceville channels, the result will be a high-quality, well-distributed product that will have great impact wherever you can get these products. And luckily, there are still loads of great metal-acts left in the world.

Look for more news about demo submission policies and so forth in about a month.

Moonfog has set September 6 as the release date for the new Darkthrone album "Sardonic Wrath".

The latest from Satyricon:

"We will be headlining (Wacken Open Air) Saturday the 7th of August doing a special set where we will perform Darkthrone songs with their singer the last 30 minutes of our show. Anyone who knows their black metal is aware of Darkthrone's policy of not playing live. They've decided to do this special event and asked us to be a part of it and that is of course a great honour. We're also glad that this historical event have the approval of Fenriz and Zephyrous. Bonds between Satyricon and Darkthrone have always been extremly tight and this is a great way of showing it. The thought of kicking into our opening song "Walk The Path Of Sorrow" in front of 30-40,000 people makes the wait almost unbearable. Some of you have have been sending concerned e-mails asking what the festival means by using the phrasing "last show forever" about our performance. We don't know WHAT THEY FUCK they are talking about and rest assured...Satyricon is alive and kicking as ever before!"

And with regards to US touring activities:

"No movement on the Frost case (concerning his recent visa problems). We've will be auditioning drummers in August. So far we've had no luck as some drummers we have contacted have schedules that doesn't allow them to tour with us or they turn out not to be good enough. We're hoping to return in Sep/Oct/Nov. So be patient, darkness always prevails."

Check out the artwork for the new Darkthrone album "Sardonic Wrath": http://www.lorenzomariani.it/SardonicWrath/1.htm
It was drawn by Italian artist Lorenzo Mariani whose previous credits include Marduk and Aborym. A release is expected around September via Moonfog Productions.

There will be a special Bathory tribute at the upcoming Hole in the Sky Festival in Norway this coming August. As mentioned before, Bathory mastermind Thomas "Quorthon" Forsberg recently passed away due to heart failure. Artists set to take part: Abbath (ex-Immortal), Apollyon (Aura Noir), Faust (ex-Emperor), Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Grutle (Enslaved, Ivar (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone), Samoth (Zyklon, ex-Emperor) and Satyr (Satyricon). A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to Black Mark Records, the label owned by Quorthon's father, Börje Forsberg.

Norway's Aura Noir have have just signed a contract with new Peaceville/Snapper subsidiary Tyrant Syndicate. The label is run by Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone and AN's new album "Merciless" will be their first release. Look for it in August.

Darkthrone has confirmed that their new 9-track album "Sardonic Wrath" will come out in September. The cover art will be handled by young Italian artist Lorenzo Mariani who has previously worked with Marduk and Aborym.

Mr. Fixit from DHG and Fenriz from Darkthrone are both quoted in the new issue of the UK's Bizarre magazine and their look back at the beginnings of the black metal scene, 10 years later. Darkthrone's next album "Sardonic Wrath" is due out in September.

Representing Scandinavia on the (extremely late) Terrorizer Magazine best-of 2003 writer's poll:

02. Enslaved - Below The Lights
03. Darkthrone - Hate Them
09. Opeth - Damnation
11. Cult of Luna - The Beyond
20. Katatonia - Viva Emptiness

Read the rest (via DJ Martian): http://djmartian.blogspot.com/2004_03_01_djmartian_archive.html#107836349697629256

Speaking of Dirge Rep, he's one of the contributors on the new Aura Noir record "Merciless" with the lyrics to the song "Funeral Thrash". Other notable contributors include Fenriz of Darkthrone and Nattefrost of Carpathian Forest who both lend a hand with "their hate and alcohol infested throats." The recording is supposedly finished and mixing should be done within the next couple weeks.

If you've managed to ever capture any sort of visual recording of reclusive black-metal legends Darkthrone, their label Moonfog wants to talk to you. I assume they're putting together a DVD or something, so get in touch with them if you've got footage to share.

It took awhile, but Aversionline has finally updated with a new issue featuring an interview with Born from Pain out of Holland, around 130 new reviews including Darwin, Darkthrone, Disfear, Enslaved, Fleurety, General Surgery, Imperious, Isengard, Muskel, Skepticism, Ulver and Ved Buens Ende, plus tons more. Check it out.

"Deathlike Silence: Norsk black metal 1993-2003" - a Norweigan essay on the past 10 years of black metal, as alerted to me by the Solefald site. Since they're much more eloquent writers than me, here's what they had to say on the paper:

On September the 5th the Norwegian review Samtiden (www.samtiden.no) published an essay by Cornelius entitled "Deathlike Silence. Norwegian Black Metal 1993-2003". The essay, unfortunately available in Norwegian only, contains memories from those first crazy years (Euronymous' "Helvete" shop), rare excerpts from the personal letters of Euronymous, and also comments on how the Norwegian media have been dealing with the genre over the last ten years. The essay has probably only little new to say to experienced Metallers; what is new is that a cultural review directed at a broader, educated public actually takes black metal seriously, both as an artform and as an ideological phenomenon. Mostly grimmer black metal bands such as Darkthrone, Satyricon, Emperor, Immortal and Mayhem are featured, as the origin and history of Norwegian black metal is the centerpoint of the essay. There is of course a lot to be written about the second generation of bands (from 1995 and onwards, roughly), acts such as Arcturus, Ulver, DHG, Borknagar, Khold, Myrkskog, and hopefully also yours truly... The title "Deathlike Silence" has rather melancholic implications, as August the 10th was the 10th anniversary of Euronymous' murder. Without the life and work of that twisted, idiosyncratic mind, Norwegian black metal would be just that, a deathlike silence. But since then, as we all known, black metal has evolved so drastically that in some cases it cannot simply be called "black" anymore, maybe "avantgarde" or "post-black" or "neo-black" or you name it (just not "Radical Designer Rock'n'Roll" [as Solefald labels themselves -ed.]).

I agree - it's definitely interesting to note the way the media has picked up the black metal phenomenon and how it's been covered throughout the years. I remember when I first heard those bands way back in the early nineties and how scary and inhuman they sounded. Strange how times have changed - Satyricon and Cradle of Filth are on majors now, for starters. Those of you like me who don't read Norweigan and are interested in learning more about the scene should definitley pick up the book "Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground" by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind. It's not perfect, but it does provide for a good primer.

Moonfog Records will be holding a 10-year anniversary show on October 2 at Oslo Rockefeller featuring label founders Satyricon. Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone will be joining the band on stage too to perform a special set of "Darkthrone classics," featuring material not heard live since 1996. Recent signees Disiplin and another as-yet-unnamed band will open and Fenriz, Darkthrone's other half, will be spinning the "harshest black metal sounds" between sets. More info: www.moonfog.no

Solefald reports on their website that they are in Iceland working on their next album. They say they already have most of it written and it's "more classic Black Metal 1993-ish style," but of course "unmistakeably like Solefald." They go further to add that they are trying to get back in touch with their Nordic viking roots via Iceland's famous barren landscapes, volcanoes, hot springs, sea, and viking history. Not to mention the classic sounds of Bathory, Darkthrone, Enslaved and Immortal they brought for inpiration. They even went to a viking festival where there were authentically dressed vikings, swordfights, arts and crafts and more. Read the full report.