Darkthrone True Norwegian Black Metal 1998 Hoodie

I wince whenever someone uses the word "grail" - especially because it's so easily tossed around these days in collector's circles. But if there was ever a "grail" that I yearned for, this hoodie was it. My first time seeing one was back in the early 2000s, in the northernmost part of Norway where my mother's sister lives. Her son, my oldest cousin, was a big-time Black Metal fan in those days and he had built up a nice little collection of CDs and shirts - mostly Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Darkthrone. From the first time I saw him wearing this hoodie, I wanted one. I would visit every year and pester him with, "one day you'll let me have it" - to which he always replied, "never" with a proud grin.

Then, one day, on a yearly visit to their home I came to find that my oldest cousin had cut all of his hair off and traded out his black clothes with sharp logos for bright colors. He was "over" black metal and had moved on to electronic music. So what about the hoodie? It remains a mystery to this day. I assume he's got it stuffed away in a storage bin someplace, mostly forgotten about. But he's never told me (maybe he doesn't have the heart to break the news that he threw it away or sold it for a few bucks) and I've given up asking. Nowadays he calls the band "Dork Train" and says the whole black metal thing is just silly kid's stuff.

I'm in my thirties now and still just as interested in black metal as I was when I first heard "One by One" by Immortal, in my early teens. And now, by a stroke of insane luck, I was able to find one of these hoodies and earn it through a trade for something I got for a good price. So in the end, I obtained my "grail" and you know what? It was absolutely worth the chase!