Darkthrone was formed in 1986 by Gylve Nagell, Fenriz and Ted Skjellum, Nocturno Culto.


They first played death metal, copying the United States metal scene, and bands like Slayer, Carcass, and Death, both with image and style of playing. Debut album, Soulside Journey, was released in 1989. Eventually, new genre of metal became popular, called Black Metal. They abandoned death metal genre, and started playing primitive black metal. They are regarded as the first band who released an album in the Second Wave of Black Metal, and as the best in the genre along with Burzum, Mayhem, Enslaved, Immortal, Satyricon and Emperor.


Their first black metal album, second overall, was called A Blaze In The Northern Sky, released in 1992, with riffs similar to their death metal beginnings. Their third album Under a Funeral Moon was released in 1993, with straightforward black metal riffing. Their most critically acclaimed album, and most succesfull was Transilvanian Hunger, released in 1994, and Panzerfaust the next year, with lyrics written by Varg Vikernes of Burzum.


After Panzerfaust, the band started to experiment with their music, adding punk and rock n roll elements to their music. They called this genre New Wave of Black Heavy Metal. They released another six albums with that style, every album different than its predecessor. Along with the new music, they released compilations of their black metal songs, and compilations of unreleased songs and demos from their early death metal days.


With their newest album, Arctic Thunder, they still kept punk and rock infuences, but returned to the more primitive and repetitive black metal riffing, similar to their early days. Fenriz and Nocturno Culto promise to keep making music, for Darkthrone, but also on their other projects.

---