In 2022, Darkthrone released the album ‘Astral Fortress’ with a bit of controversial cover art. On the cover, there is this dude iceskating on a lake with a Darkthrone patch on his jacket. This photo was taken at Kolbotn Lake, or Kolbotntjernet, as it is called in Norway.

In an interview with Nocturno Culto in Chaosphonia he explains:
“The actual picture you see on the cover of Astral Fortress was just a coincidence: somebody had taken that picture of this guy who was skating on the Kolbotn Lake—that lake is actually where Darkthrone started, it’s very close to home—and there’s something about the aesthetics of the image and the attitude of the guy on it that we really liked. We talked about it and knew that it would stir reactions, but we always first take the decision and talk about the impact it might have afterward. You can see that picture in many different ways, there’s a symbolic aspect to it, too. The people who want us to record Under A Funeral Moon 13 can see that the Panzerfaust backpatch is growing distant, the guy is actually skating away… There are many ways to interpret it, but the main idea is that it suits what we wanted to achieve with that album. The title as well, “Astral Fortress”, shows that we can use everything. Many people don’t realize it, but there’s an astral aspect to Darkthrone, too. That’s the way of life!”

ADDRESS:
1410 Kolbotn, Norway

Back to Kolbotn.