DARKTHRONE — Transilvanian Hunger

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4.16 | 40 ratings | 3 reviews

Album · 1994

Filed under Black Metal
By DARKTHRONE

Tracklist

1. Transilvanian Hunger (06:09)
2. Over fjell og gjennom torner (02:29)
3. Skald av Satans sol (04:28)
4. Slottet i det fjerne (04:45)
5. Graven tåkeheimens saler (04:59)
6. I en hall med flesk og mjød (05:12)
7. As Flittermice as Satans Spys (05:55)
8. En ås i dype skogen (05:02)

Total Time 39:03

2005 enhanced content:

- Darkthrone: The Interview - Chapter 4

CD2 - Commentary disc with Fenriz:

1. Transilvanian Hunger (With Commentary) (06:11)
2. Over fjell og gjennom torner (With Commentary) (02:30)
3. Skald av Satans sol (With Commentary) (04:28)
4. Slottet i det fjerne (With Commentary) (04:45)
5. Graven tåkeheimens saler (With Commentary)
(05:00)
6. I en hall med flesk og mjød (With Commentary) (05:13)
7. As Flittermice as Satans Spys (With Commentary) (05:55)
8. En ås i dype skogen (With Commentary) (05:21)

Total Time 39:23

20th Anniversary digital edition:

9. Transilvanian Hunger (With Commentary)
(06:11)
10. Over fjell og gjennom torner (With Commentary) (02:30)
11. Skald av Satans sol (With Commentary) (04:28)
12. Slottet i det fjerne (With Commentary) (04:45)
13. Graven tåkeheimens saler (With Commentary) (05:00)
14. I en hall med flesk og mjød (With Commentary) (05:13)
15. As Flittermice as Satans Spys (With Commentary) (05:55)
16. En ås i dype skogen (With Commentary) (05:21)

Total Time 78:27

Line-up/Musicians

- Nocturno Culto / vocals
- Fenriz / drums, guitar, bass

About this release

CD and 12" 33⅓ RPM vinyl LP released 17th February 1994 on Peaceville Records (VILE 43). Contains censored lyrics. CD reissued July 1995 and 19th March 2001.

CD and cassette released 1994 in USA on Fierce Recordings (9086-11060).

CD and cassette released 1994 on Modern Invasion Music (MIM 7317-4 MC).

Cassette released 1996 on Hammer Müzik (HMR055).

Cassette released 1996 on Metal Mind Productions (MASS 0309).
CD released 2002 in Russia on Союз (CDVILE43 / 624032).

CD released 2004 on Black Metal Attack Records (BMA014).

12" 33⅓ RPM picture disc vinyl LP released 2005 on Back on Black (BOBV025PD), limited to 2000 copies.

Enhanced CD released 2005 on Icarus Music (ICARUS 134).

Enhanced CD remaster released 2007 on Peaceville Records (CDVILED43).

12" 33⅓ RPM vinyl LP released 7th August 2010 on Peaceville Records (VILELP43), limited to 2000 hand-numbered copies.

12" 33⅓ RPM vinyl LP released April 2013 on Peaceville Records (VILELP43).

2CD released 1st December 2014 on Peaceville Records (CDVILEDX549).

12" 33⅓ RPM picture disc vinyl LP released 3rd November 2017 on Peaceville Records (VILELP682).

CD remaster released 2018 on Peaceville Records (CDVILED43)

CD released November 2019 on Mindscrape Music (MIND 014-CD).

Digital 20th Anniversary edition album released 13th October 2020 on Peaceville Records.

Recorded in November and December 1993. Vocals added in 1994.

English translations:
2. Over Mountains and Through Thorns
3. Scald of Satan's Sun
4. The Castle in the Distance
5. Tombs in the Misty Halls
6. In a Hall with Pork and Mead
8. A Hill in the Deep Woods

Thanks to the t 666, Vehemency, Bosh66 for the updates

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DARKTHRONE TRANSILVANIAN HUNGER reviews

Specialists/collaborators reviews

Warthur

The album which inspired the musical approach of every kvlter-than-thou black metal band out there, Transilvanian Hunger bursts forth with more enthusiasm, energy and anger than any preceding Darkthrone album. Produced in the wake of the killing of Euronymous, which rocked the entire Norwegian scene, Darkthrone poured oil on the fire with their provocative use of lyrics by Varg Vikernes, though the lyrics themselves aren't that contentious. What's really shocking, though, is the sheer anger and passion the duo are able to convey with the carefully optimised lo-fi production (lo-fi enough to make the guitars good and fuzzy, not so lo-fi that you can't make out what's going on) and the stark, cold atmosphere of the thing.

With the occasional tape defect working its way in thanks to the recording techniques, this isn't for everyone, but I personally like it that way - the odd glitch makes it feel as though the album is some kind of contraband not meant for mortal ears, putting the listener in the position of a voyeur spying on Fenriz and Nocturno Culto's weird black metal rituals in the depths of the Norwegian wastes. Not something to listen to regularly, but a powerful experience whenever I give it a spin.

more than 2 years ago
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Report #260404

The Angry Scotsman

One of the absolute essentials of pure black metal.

If that sounds good to you, than this is a must. If it does not, there is no need to ever listen to this album.

I personally, fall into the latter. Now, if you do not know what black metal is... than I will tell you what this album is about. Musically, this album is almost entirely tremolo picking, blast beats, and a tortured growling.

The guitar work is high register, and almost nothing but long chains of tremolo picking, changing infrequently throughout. The drumming is purely blast beats (except for the rare fill and rarer break) there is no bass to be heard and the vocals are incomprehensible. While the vocal style is more important than the lyrics, there are lyrics which are anti-Christian and generally paint a bleak, hopeless picture. Some lyrics were written by the famous, (or infamous) Varg Vikernes.

The production is extremely low fi. Sometime the drumming sounds like nothing more than a lot of cymbal hits, sometimes can barely be heard amongst the guitar buzz. If this sounds boring and/or disturbing to you I will present the album in another way, for all fairness.

This was all done purposely, to create an atmosphere. An atmosphere that is cold. The extreme, minimalist songs and vocals do create a hypnotic quality. The raw production adds to the cold atmosphere. One that is also brimming with angst. Maybe surprising, but this album is really very emotional when you think about it. Musically, lyrically, aesthetically pushing hatred, loneliness, depression and isolation to the max.

The song "Skald av Satans Sol" is actually a bit different, featuring a real riff and more movement. There's even a guitar solo! Albeit a minimal one. Contrasting the albums slow moving pace, this song is very frenetic and has a pretty cool riff they use a lot. I can say I actually enjoy this song.

So take it for what it is, a total purposeful sacrifice of musicianship for aesthetics. One that is not lost on me but just a bit difficult and tiresome. Thanks to that one song, and the rest not being too lengthy I can appreciate this album a bit more than most traditional black metal.

Two Stars Only if you let this album immerse you, rather than "listening"

more than 2 years ago
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Report #231244

Vehemency

On Transilvanian Hunger, Darkthrone uses a certain code in every song. The code is monotonous black metal: the drums play almost exclusively a blast beat while the guitars are a stream of tremolo firing. Not that the music was extremely fast or anything like that, no. Instead, Transilvanian Hunger is just purely grim, cold, evil and at times melancholic, and the incessant buzz of simple, low fidelity black metal is almost a soothing experience.

Darkthrone rarely goes astray from this certain style on Transilvanian Hunger: one exception would be ”Skald Av Satans Sol” which has more diverse approach from compositional point of view. Otherwise, the monotonus buzzing is always evident, perhaps ”I En Hall Med Flesk Og Mjod” being the most hypnotic out of the 8 tracks, not to underestimate the impact of the other tracks either. When you have heard the first track - the legendary title track - and have taken a look at the front cover art, you basically know what the 39 minutes provide.

I have said it before and I say it again, there is no way I can objectively put into words why exactly some album deserves full score. What I can say, however, is that Transilvanian Hunger was one of the first black metal albums I heard along with the other evident Norwegian bands of that time. Transilvanian Hunger has always stood out as the grimmest of them all, there is no question of that. Not even when we look at any album today. My opinion is of course influenced by a heavy amount of nostalgia, but still. As stated by many others, I believe too that Transilvanian Hunger is a perfect example of essential black metal.