Under a Funeral Moon
Encyclopedia
Under a Funeral Moon is the third album by the Norwegian
black metal
band, Darkthrone
. It was recorded in June 1992 and released in June 1993 by Peaceville Records. Bandmember Fenriz
described it as an attempt to create an album that was "100% black metal".
, during August 1991. This is often regarded as their first black metal album, although it retained some death metal
traits. Fenriz
claimed that they began writing Under a Funeral Moon in late 1991 with the goal of creating a "pure black metal album". For this purpose, the studio production was toned-down to achieve a sound that was more "cold" and "grim". The album was recorded at Creative Studios in Kolbotn
during June 1992 and released a year later on 24 June 1993. Nocturno Culto
regards the album, its writing and its recording as the foundation for Darkthrone's later work.
Under a Funeral Moon is the last album on which guitarist Zephyrous (Ivar Enger) performs, as he left the band shortly after its release. The person who appears on the cover artwork is vocalist Nocturno Culto.
The album was remastered
and reissued by Peaceville in 2003, repackaged in a cardboard digipak
. It was also released by Back on Black in the form of a limited edition (2000 copies) picture disc LP. The third chapter of a four-part video interview (spanning the first four albums) between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto was included as bonus material.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band, Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
. It was recorded in June 1992 and released in June 1993 by Peaceville Records. Bandmember Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
described it as an attempt to create an album that was "100% black metal".
Recording and release
Darkthrone had recorded their former album, A Blaze in the Northern SkyA Blaze in the Northern Sky
A Blaze in the Northern Sky is the second album by the Norwegian black metal band, Darkthrone. It contains the band's first black metal recordings. The album was recorded in August 1991 and released in February 1992.-Recording and release:...
, during August 1991. This is often regarded as their first black metal album, although it retained some death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
traits. Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
claimed that they began writing Under a Funeral Moon in late 1991 with the goal of creating a "pure black metal album". For this purpose, the studio production was toned-down to achieve a sound that was more "cold" and "grim". The album was recorded at Creative Studios in Kolbotn
Kolbotn
Kolbotn is the centre of Oppegård, Norway. The population is about 6,000.Kolbotn has several elementary schools, four middle schools and a high school.The Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone formed there in 1986....
during June 1992 and released a year later on 24 June 1993. Nocturno Culto
Nocturno Culto
Nocturno Culto is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and partial bassist of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has been with the band since 1988. He currently works in Norway as a school teacher, and has a son and a daughter...
regards the album, its writing and its recording as the foundation for Darkthrone's later work.
Under a Funeral Moon is the last album on which guitarist Zephyrous (Ivar Enger) performs, as he left the band shortly after its release. The person who appears on the cover artwork is vocalist Nocturno Culto.
The album was remastered
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
and reissued by Peaceville in 2003, repackaged in a cardboard digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
. It was also released by Back on Black in the form of a limited edition (2000 copies) picture disc LP. The third chapter of a four-part video interview (spanning the first four albums) between Fenriz and Nocturno Culto was included as bonus material.
Track listing
Credits
- FenrizFenrizLeif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of... - Nocturno CultoNocturno CultoNocturno Culto is a Norwegian musician, best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and partial bassist of the influential black metal band Darkthrone. He has been with the band since 1988. He currently works in Norway as a school teacher, and has a son and a daughter...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Zephyrous – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...