Hate Them
Hate Them is the ninth studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone, released on 10 March 2003 by Moonfog Productions.[1] The record consists of seven tracks clocking in at a total runtime of 38 minutes and 47 seconds, featuring the duo of Fenriz on drums and vocals and Nocturno Culto on guitars and vocals.[2] Composed and recorded in just 26 hours at Pan Lydstudio in Norway, Hate Them represents a deliberate return to Darkthrone's raw, aggressive roots after the more atmospheric and experimental approach of their previous album, Plaguewielder (2001).[3] The album blends classic black metal riffs with thrash-influenced patterns and heavy metal elements, delivering a misanthropic sound characterized by harsh vocals, relentless drumming, and lo-fi production that emphasizes atmosphere over polish.[4] Tracks such as "Rust," "Det svartner nå," and "Fucked Up and Ready to Die" explore themes of death, inner turmoil, and existential hatred, with lyrics primarily written by Nocturno Culto and Fenriz.[5] Upon release, Hate Them was praised within the underground metal scene for its uncompromised intensity and authenticity, solidifying Darkthrone's reputation as pioneers of second-wave black metal.[3] It has since been reissued multiple times, including a deluxe edition in 2013 by Peaceville Records featuring bonus commentary from the band members reflecting on the album's creation and influences.[6] The album's enduring appeal lies in its embodiment of black metal's core ethos: raw hatred and defiance, free from commercial concessions.[7]Background
Album conception
Following the punk-influenced Plaguewielder (2001), Darkthrone sought to reaffirm their raw black metal foundation on Hate Them, incorporating more aggressive, thrash-tinged riffs while maintaining a primitive edge with punk undertones.[6] Fenriz, having emerged from a period of personal depression, described the album as a pivotal moment where the band rediscovered its creative vitality, stating, "In hindsight, it must have felt like we found ourselves as a band again — like in 1991," and characterizing it as "a black album with lots of energy."[8] This renewed enthusiasm allowed the duo to "let our guard down and play whatever the hell we wanted," yielding what Fenriz called "a maniac, grim, cool and angry album."[8] The pre-recording songwriting process was divided between the band's two members, with Nocturno Culto composing four tracks—"Rust," "Fucked Up and Ready to Die," "Ytterst i livet," and "Striving for a Piece of Lucifer"—and Fenriz handling three: "Det svartner nå," "In Honour of Thy Name," and "Divided We Stand."[9] This collaborative yet independent approach emphasized minimalistic arrangements and lo-fi production values, aligning with Darkthrone's ethos of raw execution; the album was ultimately recorded and mixed in just 26 hours to preserve its unpolished intensity.[10] As their ninth studio release, Hate Them was issued through the independent Norwegian label Moonfog Productions, an outlet for underground black metal acts that afforded Darkthrone significant creative autonomy free from major-label commercial constraints. This setup exemplified the band's broader evolution in the 2000s, where they increasingly blended black metal aggression with thrash and punk influences while prioritizing artistic independence over polished production.[8]Band evolution leading to the album
Darkthrone was formed in 1986 in Kolbotn, Norway, initially under the name Black Death as a death metal band influenced by Scandinavian and Floridian styles.[11] The band released their debut album, Soulside Journey, in 1991 through Peaceville Records, establishing a technical death metal sound characterized by complex riffs and growling vocals.[12] By 1991, Darkthrone began shifting toward black metal, a transition fully realized with their second album, A Blaze in the Northern Sky, released in 1992, which incorporated frostbitten atmospheres and influences from Bathory and Celtic Frost while retaining some death metal aggression.[13] This change aligned the band with the burgeoning Norwegian black metal scene, where they became key contributors through their raw intensity and anti-commercial stance. Personnel changes reduced Darkthrone to a core duo by the late 1990s: Fenriz (Gylve Nagell) handling drums and vocals, and Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum) managing guitar, bass, and additional vocals, following the departures of bassist Dag Nilsen after A Blaze in the Northern Sky and guitarist Zephyrous after Transilvanian Hunger in 1994.[14] This streamlined lineup reinforced their DIY ethos, prioritizing self-recorded sessions in home setups like Fenriz's "Necrohell" studio to cultivate a lo-fi production style that emphasized atmospheric grimness over polished clarity.[15] Leading up to Hate Them, several albums marked Darkthrone's evolving sound within the Norwegian black metal underground. Transilvanian Hunger (1994) solidified their reputation for unrelenting rawness, with its trebly guitars and hypnotic repetition creating an icy, minimalist aesthetic.[15] Panzerfaust (1995), their debut on Moonfog Productions—a label tied to the scene since its 1993 founding by Satyricon's Satyr—introduced punk-infused attitudes and doom-laden pacing, drawing from Celtic Frost's hybrid aggression.[16] Finally, Plaguewielder (2001) served as a direct stylistic predecessor, ramping up speed and ferocity in its riffs while maintaining lo-fi edges, bridging their classic black metal era toward more hybrid explorations.[17]Recording and production
Studio sessions
The recording sessions for Hate Them took place in December 2002 at Pan Lydstudio in Oslo, Norway, and were completed in approximately 26 hours to capture the band's raw, unpolished energy without over-refinement.[3] This compressed timeline reflected Darkthrone's commitment to a direct, live-like approach in the studio, minimizing post-production interventions.[18] Instrumental duties during the sessions were divided between the duo: Nocturno Culto performed vocals, rhythm guitar, and bass throughout, while Fenriz handled drums and lead guitar on tracks 1, 3, and 5.[18] This setup allowed for efficient tracking, with the pair leveraging their long-standing collaboration to execute the material swiftly. Additionally, electronic intro and outro elements were contributed by Lars Sørensen (known as LRZ) of the Norwegian industrial metal band Red Harvest, providing an atmospheric layer that bookended the core black metal tracks.[18] The sessions faced logistical challenges, including a tight schedule, which underscored Darkthrone's staunch anti-commercial ethos and preference for authenticity over polished excess. This DIY mindset ensured the album retained a gritty, immediate feel, consistent with the band's evolution toward rawer expressions in their mid-period work.Technical approach
The album Hate Them was engineered by Lars Klokkerhaug at Pan Lydstudio in Norway, where recording and mixing were completed in just 26 hours during December 2002.[3] This expedited process emphasized a raw, unpolished black metal production style, prioritizing directness and roughness to evoke the intensity of a live performance.[10] The approach involved minimal overdubs, allowing the band's natural interplay to dominate without extensive layering or corrections, which contributed to the album's gritty, authentic sonic texture.[19][10] Mastering was handled by Tom Kvålsvoll, who preserved the inherent lo-fi aggression of the recordings while introducing subtle enhancements for drum clarity, making them slightly more prominent than on Darkthrone's preceding albums.[3][4] This balanced the raw edge with improved definition in the low end, ensuring the percussion cut through the fuzzy guitar tones without compromising the overall primitive aesthetic.[4] Post-production included layout preparation by Martin Kvamme, integrating visual elements with the audio finalization to ready the album for release.[19]Composition
Musical elements
Hate Them exemplifies a fusion of second-wave black metal aesthetics with prominent thrash and punk influences, characterized by relentless fast tempos, tremolo-picked guitar riffs, and aggressive blast beats that drive the album's raw intensity.[20][21] This stylistic blend results in a gritty, lo-fi sound that emphasizes primitive energy over polished production, drawing from the band's earlier black metal roots while incorporating punk's simplicity and thrash's speed.[22] Representing an evolution from the more uniform aggression of their prior release Plaguewielder, Hate Them introduces greater variety in riffing structures.[23] Spanning 38:47 across seven tracks, the album prioritizes visceral intensity and straightforward songcraft over intricate complexity, allowing the core elements of speed and distortion to dominate without unnecessary embellishments.Track listing
All lyrics on Hate Them were written by Fenriz, while the music was composed by either Fenriz or Nocturno Culto.[19][3] The album features seven tracks with a total runtime of 38:47.[2]| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rust" | Nocturno Culto | 6:44 |
| 2. | "Det svartner nå" | Fenriz | 5:38 |
| 3. | "Fucked Up and Ready to Die" | Nocturno Culto | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Ytterst i livet" | Nocturno Culto | 5:25 |
| 5. | "Divided We Stand" | Fenriz | 5:17 |
| 6. | "Striving for a Piece of Lucifer" | Fenriz | 5:30 |
| 7. | "In Honour of Thy Name" | Fenriz | 6:28 |