Editing Darkthrone (section)

====Early black metal years: 1991–1994====  
[[File:Darkthrone Logo.png|200px|right|thumb|The Darkthrone logo, as it has appeared on the band's releases since its first album, ''[[Soulside Journey]]''. It was designed by Tassilo Förg, Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell, and [[Tomas Lindberg]] of [[Grotesque (band)|Grotesque]]/[[At the Gates]].]]

In 1991, influenced by [[Euronymous]] of [[Mayhem (band)|Mayhem]], Darkthrone adopted the aesthetic that would come to symbolize the [[black metal]] scene, donning [[corpse paint]] and working under [[pseudonym]]s. Gylve Nagell became "[[Fenriz]]," Ted Skjellum became "[[Nocturno Culto]]," and Ivar Enger adopted the name "[[Ivar Enger|Zephyrous]]." In August 1991, they recorded their second album, which was released in early 1992 and titled ''[[A Blaze in the Northern Sky]]''. This album featured Darkthrone's first black metal recordings, although Peaceville Records was initially skeptical about releasing it due to the band's drastic shift from their original death metal style.<ref>{{cite web|title=Peaceville Artists|url=http://peaceville.com/artistbio.php?aid=11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725010237/http://peaceville.com/artistbio.php?aid=11|archive-date=25 July 2011|access-date=20 August 2007}}</ref> After the album was recorded, bassist Dag Nilsen left the band, stating that he did not wish to play black metal; he is credited only as "session bass" and does not appear in any photographs on the album.

The band's third album, ''[[Under a Funeral Moon]]'', was recorded in the summer of 1992 and released in early 1993. It marked Darkthrone's complete transition to the black metal style and is considered a landmark in the development of the genre as a whole. This album also represented the last collaboration with guitarist Zephyrous.

Following this, their fourth album, ''[[Transilvanian Hunger]]'', was released in February 1994. This marked the first album to feature only two members, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz. Fenriz was credited with all instrumentation and songwriting, while Nocturno Culto contributed solely vocals. From this point forward, the band would operate as a duo. ''Transilvanian Hunger'' was characterized by a raw or low-fidelity recording style, featuring monotone riffing with minimal melody. The album's release sparked some [[Transilvanian Hunger#Release and controversy|controversy]], as half of its lyrics were penned by the Norwegian black metal musician [[Varg Vikernes]], and the booklet contained the phrase "Norsk Arisk Black Metal," which translates to "Norwegian Aryan Black Metal" in English.