Review Summary: A polarizing album in the band's current era.
It Beckons Us All is the sixth album in Darkthrone's later era, focused on old-school black/heavy/doom metal riffs and (perhaps even more so) on the careless jam sessions of two black metal legends. Here's a brief reminder: aside from their first death metal album, the discography can be divided into a long black metal era, a crust-punk inspired era, and the current (shortly put) "old metal" era. Certain points in the discography have been divisive among fans (for instance, the crust-punk albums received very mixed reviews and scores), and I believe this polarization is just as relevant for this new album.
I'm approaching the assessment of
It Beckons Us All from a personal angle, as I consider myself one of those very few, who love
almost every Darkthrone album. However, I couldn't quite connect with this one, despite it contains all the elements that make the current era so unique and enjoyable. Since the release of
The Underground Resistance the influence of iconic heavy metal bands (most notably Iron Maiden) has left a mark in Darkthrone's style, while especially
Eternal Hails saw the inclusion of elements taken from classic doom bands (like Trouble, Saint Vitus, etc.) into their music. The previous album also embraced a mix of these genres with black metal, and this new album basically follows that same path... but I feel like it lacks something. The two pre-release singles, "Black Dawn Affiliation" and "The Bird People of Nordland" hinted a massive album, but the quality of the entire package, in my opinion, is considerably weaker. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what I find lacking in the other tracks because each contains something truly great... but also something not so great. For instance, "The Heavy Hand" showcases that Darkthrone has always delivered the best riffs, but the overall experience is diminished by vocals that feel tired and weak, and a monotonous tempo and structure also flattens the enjoyment (even though Darkthrone's greatest strength is the "less is more" approach). As a result, the album feels somewhat… unfinished or rushed.
As a fan,
It Beckons Us All was a disappointment for me. Despite there is a brilliant trio of songs in the middle of the album ("Black Dawn Affiliation" + "And In That Moment I Knew The Answer" + "The Bird People of Nordland"); the beginning and end of the album fall short in quality (despite a few awesome moments, like the final third of "Howling Primitive Colonies" for example). Perhaps my high expectations contributed to this sour feeling of disappointment, and I completely understand if someone has the exact opposite view of this Darkthrone album -- but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.
As one their song titles says in
Hate Them: "Divided We Stand."
