SATYRICON IS WITHOUT A DOUBT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BANDS WORLDWIDE FROM THE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL GENRE!
Satyricon album reviews:
#1 - VG Lista 2013
4,5/5 - Stormbringer.at
4/5 - Stereoboard.com
6/7 - Metal-Hammer.de
Age Of Nero reviews:
#5 - VG Lista 2008
4,5/5 - Heavymetal.about.com
9/10 - Heavymetal.dk
The annals of rock'n'roll are full of cliche and superstition, of iconic references like the famous "third album" - or the eponymous one. As far as "the third" is concerned, Norwegian black metal masters Satyricon certainly delivered something extraordinary in the form of "Nemesis Divina". Back in 1996 it instantly placed them at the centre of one of metal's most intriguing genres, at a time when that movement undoubtedly reached an early creative peak. The eponymous one is the one we now have in our hands, more than twenty years after the band's birth and almost five years since their last album, "The Age Of Nero”. Naming it simply "Satyricon" is a gesture of confidence, which the band's creative mastermind Satyr has never lacked. So, one may ask, from 'The Age of Nero' to 'Satyricon', what has changed?
Quite a few things have changed, but to ask that is missing the point. The most important thing is what hasn't changed and that is something you wouldn't naturally expect from an experienced band that has toured the globe. One word: Hunger. The hunger to go somewhere no one has gone before. The hunger that extinguishes the status quo that can so often come with the routine of a 20 year career, with a set list of "hit songs" that should easily satisfy their army of fans for at least another 20 years. The hunger to create new ideas from the destruction of the old. "Nothing else counts", says Satyr about the thought process that eventually led to the most challenging, but also the most rewarding Satyricon album to date. His focus point was similar to that which proved so fruitful for 2006's "Now, Diabolical": submit yourself to a set of rules. When technology promises boundless musical possibilities, the pieces often converge into the most generic results. This insight led Satyr to a radical solution: full analog production with the bare minimum of sound processing - he didn't even use effect pedals for his guitar. The result is a dynamic and musical sound and the first obvious challenge to the listener - this is black metal without screaming it to the rest of the world.