Winning entries for Goatlord and Ravishing Grimness
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A good chunk of Darkthrone’s discography I don’t listen to: the middle part. For me, that’s from 1995 (Panzerfaust) to 2001 (Plaguewielder). Many are fans of the records from that time, but they don’t do much for me.
Aside from the music, one reason why I never got into those records is that their covers are ugly. The band was in a visual slump. Panzerfaust’s moonlit forest is functional, and Total Death’s planetary landscape is charming in a primitive way. But Goatlord’s mirror effect is cheesy, and Ravishing Grimness and Plaguewielder… well, a blind person could do better.
So Darkthrone had a contest to get new artwork for Goatlord and Ravishing Grimness. The winning entries are above. (For larger images and commentary, see here). The results are great, and might be enough of a makeover to put those records in a new light.
Peaceville is reissuing Darkthrone’s Moonfog records – the part of the discography I don’t listen to. Reissues of Panzerfaust and Isengard included a bonus disc of Fenriz providing commentary on the albums in their entirety. (Hear clips here.) An upcoming reissue of Total Death also includes a bonus disc of commentary. Here’s a clip:
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Darkthrone – Earth’s Last Picture (from the Total Death 2 disc reissue) by Peaceville
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Fenriz has one of those could-make-the-phone-book-sound-interesting voices. He really should host a radio show. Here, he dissects his own work mercilessly but humorously, pointing out his influences. It’s a refreshingly humble attitude for a musician of his stature.
I’m listening to Total Death now and thinking that it should be called Total Celtic Frost Worship. In this interview, Tom G. Warrior talks about the Celtic Frost influence on Darkthrone. It comes full circle on Tripytkon’s Shatter EP, where Nocturno Culto guests on a live version of “Dethroned Emperor”. I don’t know if Total Death will last like “Dethroned Emperor”. But with Peaceville’s reboot (sort-of-new artwork (the CD now has the original LP artwork), bonus track, Fenriz commentary), it deserves another look.
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TOTAL DEATH REISSUE
Amazon (2CD)
Peaceville (2CD)
Peaceville (LP + commentary CD)
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the art for Ravishing Grimness is fantastic. still a boring record, though. Total Death and Panzerfaust have some killer Celtic Frost riffs though, and Ted’s vocals are insane throughout both records.
best commentary line: “A monkey could play the bass! Hahaha.”
Agree that the new _Ravishing Grimness_ art is amazing, and that the new art for _Goatlord_ is an improvement on the original (which admittedly isn’t saying much). Also agree with Wash Jones that _Ravishing Grimness_ is kind of boring. I understand that Darkthone limit themselves to just a few riffs per song, but, with the exception of “The Claws of Time,” the riffs on that album aren’t engaging enough to merit the repetition.
On a related note, I finally got around to watching _Until the Light Takes Us_ this weekend, and I was struck by how Fenriz came across as a somewhat melancholy guy, more than a little ambivalent about the scene he helped create. That potrayal contrasted for me with the jocular, nerdy Fenriz of these commentaries and Darkthrone liner notes. Definitely an interesting character (and a more sympathetic figure than Varg, the other star of the doc).
That new Ravishing Grimness artwork is indeed fantastic. Well done.
Both of these look great. I never got into Dark Throne much (very untr00 I know). I agree about the art and packaging adding to the music and if the cover sucks, it seems to take away from the music. All these digital files flying around these days makes me feel like I have an incomplete package. Glad to see art still matters to some.
Metal artwork took a huge dip for 10 years from the mid 90s onwards, and the awful Darkthrone covers from that period reflect that. There is a huge upturn in quality since bands and labels came to terms with downloading. In the UK this means a nicely packaged vinyl costs 18-30 GBP. Wonder how Fenriz feels? Like black metal co-option by half assed ‘art’ frauds, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle.
I don’t really have an opinion on these new covers, black metal imagery has no effect on me anymore, its just a common style with only so many variations. I still like “gaudy” early 90s and late 80s death metal album covers like Morgoth’s Resurrection Absurd, now that’s a damn album cover! The exact kind of covers Darkthrone’s were a reaction to, shit I like those!
Ravishing Grimness looks like something any two local artists I know with hipster tendencies would draw if I asked them to do something black metal. The cloaked guys up top, the swirly designs at the bottom (fuckers love them swirly designs), sure I can’t draw it but whatever, bleh. I went to a chain record shop and its astonishing how truly accepted black metal is now, it practically dominates the entire ROCK section in the store, only next to swoop haired myspace shit (which is going out) and Relapse Bore-Metal, at 17.99 a pop, someone’s buying it
These new covers look great. I haven’t listened to either record in years but I’m willing to give both a go again.
When do these come out?
I think that HATE THEM is an overlooked, minor classic.
Hate Them and Sardonic Wrath are monoliths of hateful riffing. The last truly spiteful Darkthrone albums, and with some of their most bizarre lyrics. Straightening Sharks in Heaven!
I’ll add my voice to the love for Hate Them (though I equally if not even more like the last three albums). That said I also have to address you Cosmo and say, “WHAAATTTT?!?!?!?” Panzerfaust is a GREAT album and deserves to be considered alongside the albums that came out before it.
TheWolf – We’ve gone over this before! Panzerfaust is fine with me musically, but I can’t handle Nocturno Culto’s steel-wool-inside-your-ears vocals.
Hate Them is when Darkthrone started getting really good again, both visually and musically. Eric Syre, who sometimes comments here, did its album cover.
Both are brilliant cover arworks, way better than the original!
James Andrew – Just got word from Peaceville: “No definite date scheduled yet for the 2 releases, but likely around July for Goatlord, & September for Ravishing Grimness”.
Wow, I have to agree that the Ravishing Grimness cover is awesome.
I’m not a fan of their middle period stuff or their newer stuff either. In true metal elitist fashion, I only go for the first 4 Darkthrone albums.
I submitted two designs for the covers which, more or less unsurprisingly, didn’t get selected.
Thanks for the good words on my Hate Them artwork. I wanted to send the guys something different to break from the oldschool pictures and the crappy Ravishing Grimness cover.
“Maybe I played the bass, I don’t remember…actually we recorded this above a kindergarten.” I love this guy. I bet all his music sounds better when he talks over it.
I wonder what it is about extreme forms of music that obscures or prevents the natural personality of the artist from coming through. In other words, did Darkthrone have to work at keeping Fenriz’ sense of humor out of the music, or did the artist just naturally subvert it into something else?
HATE THEM RULES!
David – Judging from interviews with Fenriz, it seems that he matured into having a sense of humor and a better outlook on life. He probably wouldn’t have delivered the same commentary at the time he made his earlier records.
I think a lot of art doesn’t reflect the personality of the artist. For example, it’s common for musicians in brutal, extreme metal to be down-to-earth and peaceful people.
The new covers are crap. They look like they were done by high school kids.
It’s so cool that Tom G. Warrior got to know Panzerfaust; Darkthrone always said their songs are direct tributes to Celtic Frost and Bathory. I’ve loved each their record (though particularly Panzerfaust, Transilvanian Hunger, and Blaze In The Northern Sky).