Transilvanian Hunger
| Transilvanian Hunger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Darkthrone | ||||
| Released | 1994 | |||
| Recorded | November–December 1993 | |||
| Genre | Black metal | |||
| Length | 39:00 | |||
| Label | Peaceville | |||
| Producer | Darkthrone | |||
| Darkthrone chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Transilvanian Hunger is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone. It was released in 1994, through Peaceville Records.
Background
Transilvanian Hunger was the band's first album to be recorded with just two members, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, following the departure of Zephyrous.[1] The band would remain a duo from this point onwards.
The back cover of the album states that "Darkthrone is for all the evil in man". Fenriz appears on the cover artwork, which bears resemblance to Mayhem's 1993 live album Live in Leipzig.
Contribution of Varg Vikernes
Lyrics for four of the album's songs were written by the infamous Norwegian black metal musician Varg Vikernes. Vikernes was imprisoned in 1993 for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and for the arson of several churches.
The ending of the song "As Flittermice As Satans Spys" contains a backmasked message; when the voice is played in reverse, it utters the phrase "In the name of God, let the churches burn."[2]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Fenriz (tracks 1–4) and Varg Vikernes (tracks 5–8), all music composed by Darkthrone.| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Transilvanian Hunger" | 6:09 | |
| 2. | "Over Fjell og Gjennom Torner" ("Over Mountains and Through Thorns") | 2:29 | |
| 3. | "Skald av Satans Sol" ("Skald of Satan's Sun") | 4:28 | |
| 4. | "Slottet i det Fjerne" ("Castle in the Distance") | 4:45 | |
| 5. | "Graven Tåkeheimens Saler" ("Halls of Fog Kingdom's Tomb") | 4:59 | |
| 6. | "I en Hall med Flesk og Mjød" ("In a Hall with Pork and Mead") | 5:12 | |
| 7. | "As Flittermice as Satans Spys" | 5:55 | |
| 8. | "En ås i Dype Skogen" ("A Hill in the Deep Forest"/"An Áss in the Deep Forest") | 5:03 | |
Total length: |
39:00 | ||
Controversy
Originally, the back cover displayed the phrase "Norsk Arisk Black Metal" ("Norwegian Aryan black metal"). The band said that they had used "Arisk" to mean "true".[2] Due to the negative response from many distributors, however, the phrase was removed. The band also intended to include another controversial statement with the album: "We would like to state that Transilvanian Hunger stands beyond any criticism. If any man should attempt to criticize this LP, he should be thoroughly patronized for his obviously Jewish behavior."[3] In a press release, Peaceville Records issued both this statement and their own response, acknowledging that they could not censor their artists but also taking the opportunity to condemn its sentiment.[3] The incident caused Darkthrone to write a formal apology released at Peaceville's behest, including statements explaining that calling something "Jewish" was part of their "slang" words, of which was used in a demeaning way. The band and Peaceville ended up parting ways after the album's release.[4]
As a response to this controversy, Darkthrone included the following statement on their next album, Panzerfaust, the following year: "Darkthrone is certainly not a Nazi band nor a political band. Those of you who still might think so, you can lick Mother Mary's asshole in eternity."[3]
Reissue
In 2003, the album was remastered and reissued by Peaceville, as well as being repackaged in a cardboard Digipak. The fourth and final chapter of a four-part video interview (spanning the first four albums) between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto was also included as bonus material.
Legacy
In an album artwork special edition of Terrorizer magazine, the cover of Transilvanian Hunger was listed as one of the greatest album covers. The magazine regarded it as representative of their "musical regression" ideologies, and as a "stark image of evil that was never quite equalled".[citation needed]
Personnel
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Transilvanian Hunger – Darkthrone : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fenriz. "Bands » Peaceville". peaceville.com. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "MusicMight :: Artists :: Darkthrone". MusicMight. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
- ↑ Fenriz. "Bands » Peaceville". peaceville.com. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
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