Opeth are loved by a lot of people but they haven't proven themselves to everyone yet. Darkthrone on the other hand is a black metal legend whether you like them or not. And Darkthrone is great these days in my opinion. Talk about evolving your sound? What do you think darkthrone is doing?
They WERE a black metal legend, thanks to a single album (IMO), which was ABITNS. The rest of their discography is either fair, or boring. Compared that to each one of Opeth's releases, which have been very much solid in their own way.
And do tell me how Darkthrone is evolving. Cause all I'm hearing is a SLIGHTLY more punkier sound. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same thing.