Darkthrone released the 1992 album A Blaze in the Northern Sky.
The album marked Darkthrone’s dramatic transition from Swedish-influenced death metal to the raw, atmospheric black metal style associated with Norway’s early-1990s scene. It was recorded in August 1991 at Creative Studios in Kolbotn and released by Peaceville Records on February 26, 1992.
A Blaze in the Northern Sky is often considered the first part of Darkthrone’s “Unholy Trinity,” followed by Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger. Its deliberately lo-fi production, shrieking vocals, tremolo-picked guitars, and blast beats became highly influential, even though the record initially surprised Peaceville, which had expected another death metal album.
A common mix-up is confusing the album with Mayhem’s influential releases because both bands emerged from the same Norwegian black metal milieu. Darkthrone’s lineup also included bassist Dag Nilsen, who left after objecting to the band’s stylistic change but performed as a session musician on this album.