At a time when most of the first wave of Norwegian black metal bands are long gone, Darkthrone has become the senior figures of this particular subgenre almost by default; they're like the Rolling Stones of death metal.
And much like the Rolling Stones around the time of Some Girls and Emotional Rescue, Darkthrone now seems to be caught between staying true to their original sound and adapting to the commercial marketplace.
The album's first single, "Too Old, Too Cold" is easily the most immediately accessible song the band has ever done, sounding more like American hardcore punks the Misfits than anyone else, and elsewhere "Graveyard Slut" and "Whiskey Funeral" add to the album's punky feel.
Longtime fans might grouse about the somewhat diluted sound of the album, but the shift in emphasis is both subtle and effective.
Rather than simply going through the black metal motions, The Cult Is Alive is one of Darkthrone's most satisfying recent albums.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Cult of GoliathFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Too Old Too ColdFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 03:03 | 7 MB | 22 MB |
| 3 | Atomic ComingFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 4 | Graveyard SlutFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 5 | Underdogs and OverlordsFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | Whisky FuneralFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 32 MB |
| 7 | Tyster På GudFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 8 | Shut UpFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 37 MB |
| 9 | Forebyggende KrigFenriz | Darkthrone | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 10 | De Underjordiske (AElia Capitolina) | Darkthrone | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 38 mins | 88 MB | |||||
| 38 mins | 300 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darkthrone | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Fenriz | Composer, Drums, Guitar, Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 3 | Nocturno Culto | Audio Engineer, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Member of Attributed Artist, Vocals |
| 4 | Trine Paulsen | Design, Illustrations |
| 5 | Kim Sølve | Design, Illustrations |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |