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Darkthrone > Under a Funeral Moon > Reviews > Slater922
Darkthrone - Under a Funeral Moon

The funeral moon glows strongly now, for I am nearly there - 100%

Slater922, May 15th, 2021
Written based on this version: 1993, CD, Peaceville Records

After the critical success of "A Blaze in the Northern Sky", the band had nowhere to go but up. In 1993, Darkthrone would release another black metal album called "Under a Funeral Moon". At that point, black metal was going through a peak in terms of their controversies in 1993-1994, especially with the murder of Euronymous and the church burnings going on in Norway. Some would argue that UAFM is the weakest album of their "Unholy Trinity" and that it was made to exploit the controversies going on with black metal at the time. I would argue otherwise, as while ABITNS and TH are excellent albums on their own, UAFM is the best album in terms of instrumentals and songwriting.

One great improvement from the previous album would be the instruments. ABITNS has some great instruments, but it did had a couple of death metal moments blended in it. Well if ABITNS isn't considered "true" black metal, then UAFM no doubtedly does. The guitar riffs sound more distorted and have a more cold tone in them than in the previous album. The drums also have a more inconsistent beat pattern, as there are more fast and chaotic beats while having the slower moments sound more doom-like and technical. The bass is also more audible than in ABITNS, and it provides the foundation of the tracks well. All of this is combined to create an atmosphere that's more colder and harsher than in the previous album. One of the best instrumentals on this album would be in "Inn i de dype skogers favn". The guitars play some brutal, yet catchy riffs that provide an enraging atmosphere. The drums also beat in a slightly more coherent pattern, and the snares on that track have more echo in them. I especially like the part near the end, where the instruments slow down and get more broken as they get slower and slower, creating the feeling that someone is truly dying. Other great highlights would be in "Unholy Black Metal", "Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust", and "Crossing the Triangle of Flames". The instrumentals on this album are near perfect, and remain some of Darkthrone's best works to date.

Another excellent part about the album is the vocals. Nocturno Culto continues doing the main vocals on this album, and he actually outdid himself with this one. Culto's vocals sound even more painful than in ABITNS, as the high shrieks sound more grueling and angry. Furthermore, his vocals flow to the chaotic instruments more smoothly, and it further executes the raging atmosphere. One good example of this would be in "To Walk the Infernal Fields". The track's more grand and epic atmosphere fits perfectly to Culto's chants and shrieks. His vocals are also more smooth on that track, and his words are more understandable than in most other tracks, which is a surprise since most other black metal vocalists practically make the words indecisive without the lyrics sheet. You wouldn't think that Culto would improve his vocals from the previous album, but his vocals ended up sounding better in the end.

Even the lyrics are incredible. ABITNS had some great lyrics too, but UAFM takes them on a whole new level. For example, in "Crossing the Triangle of Flames", this verse quotes:

I am the wolf in the darkest scene
Phantasms sweep my role
I am Lucifer, I bring you light and pride


This verse talks about Culto being Lucifer disguised as a wolf to terrorize people into joining his religion. The lyrics have an uneasy tone in them, and that tone is presented a lot on this album, and it works well. Not only that, but the tone is enhanced by the slower and technical instruments and the agonizing screams of Culto. This gives the tone of the lyrics a more scary tone. Also going back to "Inn i de dype skogers favn", the song is the only one in the album to have the lyrics in Norwegian, which translate to a road in the dark mountains. These translated lyrics show off some dark and disturbing imagery, which are only further executed by the harsh instruments. The lyrics may have some weak moments occasionally, but for the rest of them, they are just as good, if not better, as ABITNS.

Darkthrone's previous album was already great and influential, but it would be UAFM that took things to a whole new level. The instruments are more brutal and cold than before, the vocals are more emotional and hateful, and the lyrics still retain plenty of poetic lines. People may not view this album as highly as the others, but "Under a Funeral Moon" still remains one of their most important album and their magnum opus. If you're looking for some harsh and cold black metal, "Under a Funeral Moon" is the album for you.