For me it's A Blaze with Panzerfaust coming in second. Both strike a great balance of different band/genre influences but Blaze edges it out for me because of the leftover DM bits which, whether intentional or not, make it a much less monotone listen than say TH.

I will say, if Goatlord was ever recorded even somewhat decently, with or without vocals, it would be a strong contender. It's basically how far we can take the basic SJ sound and I love it. Too bad about the crappy recording. Oh well.

Ravishing Grimness. Panzerfaust as a close second.

It changes all the time, but right now it is A Blaze In The Northern Sky. Cold, moving and it is actually quite artistic, it isn't just a mess of riffs and drums. But it changes all the time, I was into Ravishing Grimness for a bit as well.

Sardonic Wrath & The Cult Is Alive. SW is all about that absolute yet sophisticated rawness, while TCIA has that nice in-your-face punkish attitude.

I recall reading somewhere Fenriz say The Cult Is Alive is their best album... Can't remember the source.

I think he's actually said Under a Funeral Moon is their best. I think I saw it in an interview from a few years ago. That would be my pick for my favorite Darkthrone album as well. Cold, raw, yet everything is audible and nothing is compromised. That drum sound is something I've never really heard since. Everything about the album is a masterpiece.

I think my favorite has to be Transylvanian Hunger, it may be because that's the album that introduced me to the band when I picked it up at a local music spot under new metal arrivals, however I do like the incredibly grim howl, and just crushing, repetitive guitars. It always seemed like it could almost induce a trance state for me...Some sort of soundtrack to accompany a black arts summoning, which seems cheesy but whatever. Great album in my humble opinion!

I really like The Underground Resistance the best. The mix of sounds and styles they do is what makes it stand out: old school heavy metal, power metal, punk, thrash, speed, all blended together seamlessly with their signature dirty black metal sound. The structure is really cool as well: I like how there are four mid-length songs in the beginning and the two epic fuckers at the end. The thrashy riffs in "Come Warfare, the Entire Doom" are catchy as hell, and "Leave No Cross Unturned" might be one of the most epic, badass songs they've ever written.

I have to choose A Blaze in the Northern Sky. I probably listen to Under a Funeral Moon more, but it just doesn't give me that same feeling as A Blaze. For their black metal debut, I think they studied the Celtic Frost playbook and boiled it down to the essences of what made it evil. It's just an unbelievable, moving, HUGE experience. I love Under a Funeral Moon and Pazerfaust, a lot. I also dig their heavy/speed metal sound. But nothing hits me in the gut as hard or as consistently as A Blaze in the Northern Sky.

I love it too, but I think the recording is fine. In fact, Goatlord is kind of the album that made me love Darkthrone. A Blaze is probably my favourite, but yeah, this one would be in the running. it's the only Darkthrone album that really is raw. I can picture the band in a room with me playing these songs and that's the way I kind of like it. Even the added-on vocals are pretty cool.

Oh fuck man I always forget Goatlord. I've actually never heard the "official" version but I have the rehearsal version from the Frostland Tapes compilation and it FUCKING RULES SO HARD. Jesus christ! Green Cave Float!! Sadomasochistic Rites! It's absolutely RAVENOUS.

I like Goatlord (both the original rehearsal and the one with Fenriz' not-so-subtle vocals on it) more than Soulside Journey. Maybe it's because it's a rehearsal tape, but Goatlord just sounds more alive and energetic than SJ.

I have been listening to Hate Them for the last couple of days, and I have to say it might be among my favourites. The vocals are NC's best ever, the drumming is involved and energetic, and the riffs have the PERFECT sound, and they play that wonderful mix of black metal, doom metal, and rocking Motorhead-eseque riffs without sounding silly and self-parodying as their later stuff.

Under The Funeral Moon, then Transilvanian Hunger. Transilvanian Hunger was my first Darkthrone labum, but Under The Funeral Moon is their best. Best songwriting, best mix (whether intentional or not). Yup, only a few other raw black metal albums ever delivered the cold raw sound as passionately as Under The Funeral Moon.

Blaze is my favourite, followed by Soulside Journey and Under a Funeral Moon. I've always found Transilvanian Hunger to be overrated.

Also, Dark Thrones and Black Flags isn't terrible.

Circle The Wagons,followed by Panzerfaust. The punkish sound and the less "cold" Celtic Frost oriented style,they rule.

At this very moment, Under a funeral moon

A Blaze for me although anything from there to panzerfaust is in the running. Love the more ‘old school’ riffing style - some really nasty stuff. In the shadow of the horns could be my favourite song from them.