A Blaze in the Northern Sky
Encyclopedia
A Blaze in the Northern Sky is the second album by the Norwegian
black metal
band, Darkthrone
. It contains the band's first black metal recordings. The album was recorded in August 1991 and released in February 1992.
, was more of a Swedish styled death metal
release, and was released in January 1991. After recording Soulside Journey, the band began writing songs with more black metal traits. This yielded the instrumental demo Goatlord
. Shortly after recording Goatlord, three of the bandmembers (Fenriz
, Nocturno Culto
and Zephyrous) decided to focus solely on black metal music. Bassist Dag Nilsen disliked this change in direction and quit the band. However, he agreed to record his bass parts for the album as a session member. A Blaze in the Northern Sky was recorded during August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn
; the same studio where Mayhem
recorded their influential Deathcrush
EP. In an interview, Fenriz said that the album was somewhat "rushed" as many of the songs feature "death metal guitar riffs" played in a "black metal style".
Due to Darkthrone's sudden change from death metal to black metal, Peaceville Records
was reluctant to release the album in its original form. The band then threatened to release it through Deathlike Silence Productions
, the record label owned by Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth
of Mayhem. However, Peaceville eventually agreed to release the album as it was recorded.
The album was released by Peaceville on 26 February 1992. The first CD pressing was limited to 2000 copies and had a white disc. The person who appears on the front cover is Ivar Enger
(Zephyrous), the band's rhythm guitarist. It was remaster
ed and reissued by Peaceville in 2003, as well as being repackaged in a cardboard digipak
. The second chapter of a four-part video interview (spanning the first four albums) between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto was also included as bonus material. A Blaze was reissued again through Peaceville in December 2009 as a double gatefold LP on 180 gram vinyl, limited to 2000 copies.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band, Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
. It contains the band's first black metal recordings. The album was recorded in August 1991 and released in February 1992.
Recording and release
Darkthrone's first album, Soulside JourneySoulside Journey
-Credits:* Gylve Nagell – Drums* Ted Skjellum – Lead guitar, vocals* Dag Nilsen – Bass guitar* Ivar Enger – Rhythm guitar...
, was more of a Swedish styled death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
release, and was released in January 1991. After recording Soulside Journey, the band began writing songs with more black metal traits. This yielded the instrumental demo Goatlord
Goatlord (album)
Goatlord is a demo album by Norwegian band Darkthrone.The songs on Goatlord are from an instrumental demo tape recorded in 1990–1991, between the band's first and second albums . These songs were scrapped when the band changed style from death metal to black metal...
. Shortly after recording Goatlord, three of the bandmembers (Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
, Nocturno Culto
Nocturno Culto
Nocturno Culto is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and partial bassist of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has been with the band since 1988. He currently works in Norway as a school teacher, and has a son and a daughter...
and Zephyrous) decided to focus solely on black metal music. Bassist Dag Nilsen disliked this change in direction and quit the band. However, he agreed to record his bass parts for the album as a session member. A Blaze in the Northern Sky was recorded during August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn
Kolbotn
Kolbotn is the centre of Oppegård, Norway. The population is about 6,000.Kolbotn has several elementary schools, four middle schools and a high school.The Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone formed there in 1986....
; the same studio where Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
recorded their influential Deathcrush
Deathcrush
Deathcrush is an EP by the influential Norwegian band Mayhem. It was released in 1987 and was the first studio release by any band of the Norwegian black metal scene. "Chainsaw Gutsfuck" was voted Most Gruesome Lyrics Ever by Blender Magazine. Though influential to black metal, its lyrics and sound...
EP. In an interview, Fenriz said that the album was somewhat "rushed" as many of the songs feature "death metal guitar riffs" played in a "black metal style".
Due to Darkthrone's sudden change from death metal to black metal, Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records
Peaceville Records is a British independent metal-oriented record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw in 1987, in Dewsbury, England...
was reluctant to release the album in its original form. The band then threatened to release it through Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions was an Oslo, Norway based independent record label founded in the late 1980s that focused primarily on black metal. It was the first independent label to do so. The label was founded by Øystein Aarseth, also known as Euronymous, who operated the label until his murder...
, the record label owned by Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth
Euronymous
Øystein Aarseth , who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem...
of Mayhem. However, Peaceville eventually agreed to release the album as it was recorded.
The album was released by Peaceville on 26 February 1992. The first CD pressing was limited to 2000 copies and had a white disc. The person who appears on the front cover is Ivar Enger
Ivar Enger
Ivar Enger, also known as "Zephyrous", was black metal band Darkthrone's once-guitarist. He is credited as featuring on the band's first three albums; Soulside Journey, A Blaze in the Northern Sky and Under a Funeral Moon, as well as the Goatlord album; the rehearsal tapes of what was originally...
(Zephyrous), the band's rhythm guitarist. It was remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed and reissued by Peaceville in 2003, as well as being repackaged in a cardboard digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
. The second chapter of a four-part video interview (spanning the first four albums) between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto was also included as bonus material. A Blaze was reissued again through Peaceville in December 2009 as a double gatefold LP on 180 gram vinyl, limited to 2000 copies.
Track listing
Credits
- Nocturno CultoNocturno CultoNocturno Culto is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and partial bassist of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has been with the band since 1988. He currently works in Norway as a school teacher, and has a son and a daughter...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Zephyrous – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- Dag Nilsen – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(session musicianSession musicianSession musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
) - FenrizFenrizLeif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals - Dave PybusDave PybusDave Pybus .Pybus's first band was called Anul Death which later changed its name to Darkened.From 1990-1994 Dave worked at Peaceville Records as a graphic designer...
– CD cover design