''Under a Funeral Moon'' is the third studio album by the Norwegian

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...

band

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band hailing from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991, Darkthrone transitioned to a black metal style influenced by Bathory (band), Bathory and Celtic Frost and ...

. It was recorded in June 1992 and released on 15 February 1993 by

Peaceville Records Peaceville Records is a British independent heavy metal record label. The label was founded by Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (of the bands Instigators and Civilised Society, as well as a former drummer of Sore Throat) in Dewsbury, England, in 1987. ...

. Written and recorded to create a "pure black metal album", it is the second of what is dubbed the band's "Unholy Trinity", along with ''

A Blaze in the Northern Sky ''A Blaze in the Northern Sky'' is the second studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone. It was recorded at Creative Studios in August 1991 and released on 26 February 1992 by Peaceville Records. In addition to earlier rehearsal ...

'' and ''

Transilvanian Hunger ''Transilvanian Hunger'' is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone. It was released 17 February 1994 by Peaceville Records. It is the third and final album of what is dubbed the band's "Unholy Trinity", along with ''A B ...

''. ''Under a Funeral Moon'' was the last album on which guitarist Zephyrous (Ivar Enger) performed; he left the band shortly after its release.

Background and recording

Darkthrone's previous album, ''A Blaze in the Northern Sky'', is regarded as their first black metal release, although it kept some of the band's earlier

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

sound."Essential Black Metal Listening: Darkthrone - Under A Funeral Moon"
''Metal Injection''. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2021. Drummer and songwriter

Fenriz Gylve Fenris Nagell (born Leif Nagell; 28 November 1971), known professionally as Fenriz, is a Norwegian musician, part-time music journalist and online radio host (with the show "Radio Fenriz")

said that Darkthrone began writing ''Under a Funeral Moon'' in late 1991 to create a "pure black metal album". The album was recorded at Creative Studios in

Kolbotn Kolbotn is an Urban areas in the Nordic countries#Urban areas in Norway, urban area in Norway's Nordre Follo municipality in Akershus county. Kolbotn is in the centre of the traditional district, Oppegård. The population is about 6,000. Kolbotn ...

in June 1992. The band used the studio production to create a sound that was more "cold" and "grim".

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

journalist Eduardo Rivadavia wrote: "The record's songs—already shorter and more focused than those of its epic-filled predecessor—were buried under disfiguring cobwebs of fuzzy amp distortion". ''Death Metal Underground'' notes that the album represented an "aesthetic shift" in the genre, making Darkthrone the first black metal band to have distortion define the whole of the studio production rather than just that of guitars.

Release

''Under a Funeral Moon'' was released by Peaceville on 15 February 1993. The cover artwork featured vocalist

Nocturno Culto Ted Arvid Skjellum (born 4 March 1972), also known by the stage name Nocturno Culto, is a Norwegian musician best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist, and partial bassist (shared with Fenriz) of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He ...

, who regards the writing and recording of the album as the foundation for Darkthrone's later work. The album was remastered and reissued by Peaceville in 2003, repackaged in a cardboard

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case A ...

. It was also released by Back on Black in the form of a limited edition (2,000 copies) picture disc LP. The third chapter of a four-part video interview with Fenriz and Nocturno Culto (spanning the first four albums) was included as bonus material.

Reception

In his retrospective review of the album, Eduardo Rivadavia from

called ''Under a Funeral Moon'' "essential black metal listening". He wrote that it "built upon the radical career reinvention undertaken on the previous year's ''A Blaze in the Northern Sky''" and noted that it is considered "the second volume in Darkthrone's so-called 'unholy trinity' of form- and era-defining black metal albums". J Andrew of ''

Metal Injection ''Metal Injection'' is an American online music publication focusing on hard rock and heavy metal. It was founded in 2003 by Frank Godla and Robert Pasbani in Brooklyn, and officially launched on January 1, 2004. It was initially established as ...

'' wrote that the album "represents the true essence of black metal". Comparing it with the albums before and after, he said "what makes ''Under a Funeral Moon'' special is that it's more pure black metal than ''Blaze'', but still has more variation than ''Transilvanian Hunger''".

Track listing

Credits

– drums, lyrics *

– bass guitar, vocals * Zephyrous – lead guitar

References

{{Authority control Darkthrone albums 1993 albums Peaceville Records albums Norwegian-language albums Back on Black Records albums