Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leading bands in the Norwegian black metal scene.
Their first three black metal albums - A Blaze in the Northern Sky, Under a Funeral Moon and Transilvanian Hunger - are often dubbed the "Unholy Trinity". They are considered the peak of the band's career and to be among the most influential albums in black metal.
Darkthrone has been a duo of Fenriz and Nocturno Culto since guitarist Zephyrous left the band in 1993. They have sought to remain outside the music mainstream, but have in later years collaborated with the National Library of Norway for exhibitions about Norwegian culture history and black metal. From 2006, Darkthrone's music strayed from the traditional black metal style and incorporated more elements of traditional heavy metal, punk, and speed metal, while more recent albums have also included doom metal.