A Blaze in the Northern Sky

33⅓ Europe #1

by Ross Hagen

Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992) is a foundational keystone of the musical and aesthetic vision of the notorious Norwegian black metal scene and one of the most beloved albums of the genre. Its mysterious artwork and raw sound continue to captivate and inspire black metal fans and musicians worldwide. This book explores the album in the context of exoticism and musical geography, examining how black metal music has come to conjure images of untamed Nordic wildernesses for fans worldwide. In doing so, it analyzes aspects of musical style and production that created the distinctly "grim" sound of Darkthrone and Norwegian black metal.

Genres: Music

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2020

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5. It's a nice little book, but not really one about the Darkthrone album. Instead, Hagen has written a primer (and a solid if brief one) on the subculture, branding, and style of Norwegian black metal as it was crystallizing in the early 1990s and being imported into the US and the UK. The writer is an academic and it shows, especially in the dry tone - which seems to get more comfortable around the final chapter - and the chapter topics including:

a broad history and background for the movement,
borealism and Norwegian BM as "world music",
a few style analyses with notation (with tabs) and some western tonal theory jargon (i.e. "chromatic mediant"),
a final chapter on nostalgia, but also metal memes and why Fenriz is a cool guy.

The album itself only gets minor lip-service, so anyone familiar with other 33 1/3s might be disappointed if that's what you're here for. The stuffy writing and slightly technical analysis are also things to look out for. Otherwise, it's a nice and relatively gentle introduction to Darkthrone and Norwegian black metal more broadly.

[Brandon Kazimir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not necessarily a fan of black metal, but it's interesting to learn more about such a niche genre of music, and one that holds the distinction of being a type of music that concerned parents actually had a right to worry about their kids listening to, in that certain bands and band members actually did practice what they preach in their lyrics, taking part in murder, arson, and overall "Satanic" practices.

I'm also just a fan of the 33 1/3 series already, and it's been over a year since I've read a book in this series, so it was nice to be able to get back into it. I could easily read a much more in-depth book about black metal if I wanted, but what's nice about this series is that it offers bite-sized versions (120-200 pages) of explorations of bands, albums, and genres.

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so much about Ted and Fenriz per se, more of a survey of second wave black metal’s place in the larger history of underground and popular music, but still really interesting, especially the sections that helped explain the musical theory behind the classic black metal sound.

[Matthew Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously academic. Very funny. Of course, also, it does rule.

[Egghead · Rating 3 out of 5]

grim, cold digressions
frostbitten discussion- not
much about Darkthrone

[Zak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise essay on how Darkthrone have carved a small, inverted pentagram into Norwegian culture.

[Alexandria Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this peek into an album I really enjoyed, as well as the subculture that birthed it.

[juicyD · Rating 3 out of 5]

black metal through the windowpane of A Blaze in the Northern Sky