There
are bands like Satyricon, Emperor, Darkthrone and Immortal that have written
history. Satyricon are Satyr and Frost, they captured the dark essence of the
primordial roots of black metal bringing that energy to new steps in a totally
dark path, away from
the trend, keeping a strong attitude, creating an elite cult, and albums that
have left their endless sign in the black metal evolution.
The ’94 debut was one of the first symphonic black metal albums with a
medieval historical Norwegian background, “Dark Medieval Times” (Vote 9) was
the obscure voice of the Vikings age, a cold castle hidden in a fog of mystic
fear. The word medieval and Viking didn’t mean, for Satyricon, an epic
atmosphere in the typical way but all the fear of an era of insecurity,
obscurity and violence.
It’s
absolutely original for the genre the cruel voice of Satyr, something that
will become a trademark with the second opus “The Shadowthrone” (1994 Vote
9.5). The right word for that album is evolution, progression, taking the
already superb grim vision of “Dark Medieval Times” to another level, with
better guitar riffs and a cleaner but still black recording. The black metal
drumming style of Frost gives the necessary black fuel and there’s the
sensation that the Satyr objective is to create another majestic and
monumental hymn to the destructive power of the ancient times, with the shadow
of the Twilight always near. “I’m spirit, I’m stone and I am Immortal”
said Satyr in the lyric of “The King of the Shadowthrone”, and he got the
point, his band was entered in the legend. The symphonic elements were
important but without stole the essential guitars role, the keyboards parts
where some grim and sometimes gloomy deep vision and the guitars a cold blade.
“The Shadow throne” is a more epic album then “Dark Medieval Times”
that was more gloomy and dark, but the evilness is the connection and a
certain folkish inspiration.
After
two good releases Satyricon came-out with their most monumental release to
date: “Nemesis Divina” (Vote 10+).The incredible strength of that album is
its
ability to capture the monumental epic spirit of “The Shadowthrone” in a
more extreme and violent manner, an apocalyptic storm of black darkness, where
the evilness is expressed in the northern way searching for a bloody vengeance
against the enemies of the black purity. “Mother North” is the most
magnificent hymn that Satyricon ever made and the opening track is a hypnotic
storm of hate and triumph, an assault of invincible forces of destruction, a
vision of the coldest Ragnarok. Satyricon reached perfection and excellence,
the drumming is a black metal destructive weapon and the guitars a massive
wall of apocalyptic power and the recording gives the final powerful explosion.
The artwork is the mirror of the music perfection and every song leaves the
sign. Epic, visionary, nocturnal, majestic these are only few descriptions of
all the incredible faces of that superb demonstration of how the black metal
can be played with skill,
aggression, atmosphere and a professional recording.As usual it wasn’t
simple to record an album after that awesome result, “Rebel Extravaganza”
(1999 Vote 8,5) is a very different album for the Norwegian band’s
discography.
The
hostility and misanthropy is almost the only link of communication with the
previous works, some psuedo-thrash influences are there and there but the
coldness of the primitive black metal and a sort of Voivod psychotic come-back
was the new Satyricon musical choice. It’s surprising how “Rebel…” is
a post-black metal album with a futuristic dimension having a strong
traditional black metal background, but not certainly in the territorial and
Norwegian way, as in the first three albums.
Satyricon turned to an extremer and more hostile sound and the aren’t the
excellent guitars lines in the riffs like in the previous works but the
strength that saves that release is the overall evil mood, there isn’t a
logical pattern between that release and “Nemesis Divina” but at last
Satyricon remains a strong band with a great potential, and I hope that in the
future they will be able to regain the throne of perfection.
from
the trend, keeping a strong attitude, creating an elite cult, and albums that
have left their endless sign in the black metal evolution.
ability to capture the monumental epic spirit of “The Shadowthrone” in a
more extreme and violent manner, an apocalyptic storm of black darkness, where
the evilness is expressed in the northern way searching for a bloody vengeance
against the enemies of the black purity. “Mother North” is the most
magnificent hymn that Satyricon ever made and the opening track is a hypnotic
storm of hate and triumph, an assault of invincible forces of destruction, a
vision of the coldest Ragnarok. Satyricon reached perfection and excellence,
the drumming is a black metal destructive weapon and the guitars a massive
wall of apocalyptic power and the recording gives the final powerful explosion.
The artwork is the mirror of the music perfection and every song leaves the
sign. Epic, visionary, nocturnal, majestic these are only few descriptions of
all the incredible faces of that superb demonstration of how the black metal
can be played with skill,
aggression, atmosphere and a professional recording.As usual it wasn’t
simple to record an album after that awesome result, “Rebel Extravaganza”
(1999 Vote 8,5) is a very different album for the Norwegian band’s
discography.