With production so raw that it makes demos look polished in comparison, it’s no wonder Darkthrone’s label wanted to toss these tapes. Thank the devil they didn’t. Initially another death metal act, the band’s descent into black metal’s darkness blew open the door to the infernal Labyrinth and allowed needle-noggin demons access to our realm — an invasion that continues to this day. They didn’t invent the sound, but this is the full-length that got out there first. It’s the frontline of black metal’s second wave. As primitive as the results were, you can hear why its bleak blasphemy caught on.