DARKTHRONE Shadows of Iconoclasm Box Set
By
Wendy Jasper,
Black Metal Aficionado
Thursday, July 1, 2021 @ 1:16 PM
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DARKTHRONE
Shadows of Iconoclasm Box Set
Peaceville Records 2021
True Norwegian Black Metal Pioneers DARKTHRONE have unleashed a glimpse into how their legacy began with the release of an absolutely earthshattering box set called Shadows Of Iconoclasm. This rare gem was given a limited edition run and it is a thing of beauty. Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell and Ted “Nocturno Culto” Skjellum have carefully curated this special edition set and they pulled out all the stops! This is truly a treat for veteran fans as well as newbies to the genre.
If you are new to DARKTHRONE, this will help you imagine their start as optimistic teens forging their early music as a death metal band and churning out their first album, Soulside Journey; the release of this set coincides with the debut album’s 30th anniversary. The demos they did in their early days leading up to that release are also shared in a cassette format. However, it wasn’t long before the Black Metal subculture in Norway began to appeal to them and the transition was made…and the band have re-created their sound over and over and while they primarily stay true to their Black Metal personas, they often experiment with genre crossing sounds.
DARKTHRONE has a staggering nineteen studio albums in their discography, and a host of demos, special releases, compilations and reissues render this particular boxset the first of its kind for the band. Artist Zbigniew Bielak created the masterpiece that is the cover art of the set and Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony cleaned up and restored the material. The final product contains the following:
- 6 LPs plus 7” featuring:
- A newly remastered 30th anniversary edition of 1991’s Soulside Journey
- The original Goatlord instrumental rehearsal/album – specially transferred & restored from Fenriz’ original tape
- Live in Esbjerg, Denmark 1990 – first time on vinyl
- Live in Oslo, November 1990 –a new digital transfer from the original master tapes from the Bootleg TV archive. Previously unreleased.
- Live in Riihimaki & Lahti, Finland. DARKTHRONE’s 1991 – first time on vinyl format
- Tracks from Oslo 1989 Bootleg TV appearance on 7” vinyl, including the CELTIC FROST cover, "Visual Aggression"
- The 4 cult DARKTHRONE demos presented on cassette tape with their original art & layout
- DVD featuring a new digital transfer of DARKTHRONE’s November 1990 Oslo appearance from original master tapes, as well as their Finnish tour date appearances, plus bonus footage from Oslo 1989 & a previously unseen track from their September 1990 Oslo gig
- 60 page book with a large collection of band photos, plus text covering the early years of the band as featured in the Black Death & Beyond book, including additional text for this release, plus bonus chapters compiled from rare DARKTHRONE titles
- Band promotional photo print replica
- Soulside Journey art print
I would like to take a moment to point out some of the finer points of the collection. First, it is beautifully packaged, and I must say the book is my favorite feature. The early photos that the band shared give you an idea of how serious they were, and still are, about their music. They evolved as all bands do and are likely the most revered of all the Black Metal bands to come out of Norway amidst the grim pandemonium of the early 1990s scene. They have survived and thrived when many of their contemporaries did not.
While it is likely that DARKTHRONE die-hards, like those of us who have been around since the beginning, will snap this set up and happily dive into it, I would also recommend it for new fans and audiophiles that want something new and different. The remastered Soulside Journey is outstanding, and even if you already have a pressing of Goatlord, the version with this set is a “must have”. Additionally, live performances are nonexistent after their earliest days as a band, so the live tracks are reason enough to buy the set.
There is no question of how I will rate this…I would give it ten stars, but our rating system stops at five….All Hail the mighty DARKTHRONE!
5.0 Out Of 5.0
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