review by: Roberto Martinelli

While this CD is largely a best of album, and a limited one at that, spanning only Darkthrone's career on the Peaceville label, Preparing for War does contain a few unreleased goodies (three) that make it an attractive acquisition. By far the most important is the second track, "Snowfall". This track is an nine-minute Darkthrone jam session. There are no vocals, and it really doesn't sound like anything else they've ever done. Don't worry, it's nothing out of character. Imagine music that's somewhere in-between Soulside Journey and Goatlord, but with more character, energy, feeling, and hooks. However, since it does have that pre-A Blaze in the Northern Sky quality, it is without any of that trademark chilling minimalism from their later and more famous albums.

Soulside Journey is an interesting bit of Darkthrone history, but only because the same band that released that album then went on to become THE Darkthrone. As a stand alone album, it's not too noteworthy. While "Snowfall" definitely sounds pre-black metal era Darkthrone, it features transitions and mood explorations that Darkthrone have on no other track of theirs. Plus, it's overall the most purely metal thing I've ever heard from them. Yeah, the quality isn't too good: the sound fades in and out a couple times as the right speaker sputters and dies only to come back a few seconds later, and the volume fluctuates. And so, who cares? This is Darkthrone, dammit! Anyone expecting good production from the gods of bad production needs to get a clue. Yeah, the production may be flawed, but the instruments, and especially the drums and bass, have never sounded better. Darkthrone are one of my favorite black metal bands, and this is perhaps my favorite track of theirs. Yes, it's that good.

The other unreleased stuff on Preparing for War includes a live version of "Neptune Towers," the song from Soulside Journey. Again, the quality (by live recording standards) isn't the greatest, but it sounds better than that live A Night of Unholy Black Metal album, and it features a very nice and fuzzy greeting from what I assume is Nocturno Culto (real name: "Ted," as we learn from the little bio written by Fenriz on Preparing for War), addressing the audience in a normal and friendly voice.

The last track is an alternate version of "Iconoclasm Sweeps Cappadoria," which is also off of Soulside Journey. It pretty much sounds like the original album version, but is a bit warmer and fuller. Better, really. It has a bit more character.

The rest of Preparing for War's 12 tracks are devoted to representing Darkthrone's other three Peaceville albums. This unfortunately means that their best album, Panzerfaust, is not included. However, Preparing for War is a fine best of album, in that it provides those just getting into Darkthrone with a good taste of what this quintessential black metal band has to offer, as well as appealing to worshippers of the band by including some godly unreleased material. Oh, yeah, and the album's packaging is excellent, coming in a digipak that folds out four ways. Extremely cool.