Satyricon

Satyricon 'Dark Medieval Times'
Moonfog, 1993
Tyrant:
Norway's Satyricon's debut album makes other blackmetal releases of the period look at best unsophisticated and at worst just plain poor. Album opener 'Walk The Path Of Sorrows' starts with the warped and dulcet tones of 'Death In The Bluelake' before the chilling fuzz drenched guitars kick in to an 8 minute blackmetal epic featuring acoustic interludes and grim snarled vocals. Most of the material on Dark Medieval Times follows a similar format ( excluding 'Minhyllest Til Vinterland' which is an acoustic piece with soft wind samples and spoken vocals ) of slow to mid tempo blackmetal with acoustic interludes and overlays, droning keyboards, and even flutes which accompany the ending riff of the title track in spectacular and original style. Although grimly produced the guitar riffs have a certain finesse to them and the drumming also relies on double kicks working with slower snares to create a distinctive kind of groove which is the unique signature sound of the band. Satyricon's songs never follow a typical verse/chorus structure, instead they appear to be made up in segments, usually separated by acoustic or synth breaks or by the riffs or drumming building into the next section which adds an epic feeling to the material. Satyr's riffs are at times majestic as in 'Taakeslottet' and at times groovy 'Skyggedans' but always seem relevant in their blackmetal format. This is true also of Frost's percussion, he has a unique and appealing style that sets him apart from his peers. Dark Medieval Times features seven tracks ( 3 in Norwegian ) and lasts for 43 minutes of excellence.
Favourite Tracks - Dark Medieval Times ; Into The Mighty Forest ; Skyggedans
Mark - 9/10

Satyricon 'The Shadowthrone'
Moonfog, 1994
Tyrant:
The Shadowthrone is the finest release of the blackmetal genre. Satyr's trademark guitar work and Frost's signature drumming from the debut album are back in abundance with a cleaner production and exponentally better songwriting. The keyboards still lurk in the background but instead of droning along they occasionally follow the guitar riffs 'Dominions Of Satyricon' or are used as breaks or counterpoints. Satyr also utilzes a piano on 'The King Of The Shadowthrone' and 'I En Svart Kiste' to help create a more convincing medieval atmosphere. The guitar/drum build ups from Dark Medieval Times have been refined to an art and now frequent almost all of the material including some smart little layers like the Spanish style guitar overlay in the awesome 'Woods To Eternity'. Satyr's rasp is now more intelligable and unique and he also experiments with some deep chanting vocals in 'Hvite Krists Dod' and 'Vikingland' as well as deep voiced narrative passages to add further dynamics to the masterpiece. Samoth ( Emperor/Zyklon B ) was recruited for bass and session rhythm guitar adding further credibility to an excellent album. The Shadowthrone sounds alot like it's predecessor in spirit but its cleaner production and multilayered songs will blow away even those who didn't like the bands debut. The Shadowthrone features 6 songs ( 2 Norwegian ) and 1 musical for a running time 49 mins. One of the best albums ever made.
Favourite Tracks - Woods To Eternity ; Dominions Of Satyricon ; Vikingland
Mark 10/10

Satyricon   'Nemesis Divina'
Moonfog, 1995
Tyrant:
Nemesis Divina, Satyricon�s third and most mature album, both musically and lyrically, to date. The guitars retain the old familiar finesse with a more majestic and whinny approach, and like Frost's percussion ( who is starting to add alot more cybal work ) is alot faster. Nemesis Divina retains the classic Satyricon keyboards in most tracks and the occasional piano overlays in the end of 'Dawn Of A New Age' and 'Du Som Hater Gud' and still features the occasional acoustic breaks that can be heard in the bands first two albums. Satyr has recruited Kveldulv ( Nocturno Culto from Darkthrone ) this time around as session rhythm guitarist drawing again on his seemingly limitless pool of talented friends. Nemesis Divina boasts Satyricon�s best production to date which complements the newer more agressive feel and direction of the material allowing tracks like the raging 'Immortality Passion' to shine. The ending musical piece 'Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves' throws in a surprise boasting some industrial machine like drum samples that compliments the majestic riffs surprisingly well creating an original atmosphere and perhaps hinting at the bands future direction. The undisputed album highlight however is the brilliant 'Mother North' with it's awesome epic riffing, pummeling percussion, varied vocals, and interesting psych out towards the middle end of the song. Dissapointingly the deep chanted vocals of the former album were overlooked this time around but more than likely would have been out of context with the newer material. Nemesis Divina contains 6 tracks ( 2 Norwegian ) and 1 musical, with a total running time of over 42 minutes. A prime slab of medieval blackmetal.
Favourite Tracks - Mother North ; Immortality Passion ; Forhekset
Mark - 8.5/10

Satyricon   'The Forest is my Throne'
Moonfog, 1996
Tyrant:
A split featuring Satyricon's second demo The Forest is my Throne and Enslaved's Yggdrasill demo. The Forest Is My Throne is a 3 track demo from 1992 featuring the current line u pof Satyr and Frost witha forth track 'Night Of The Triumphator' written for this release in 1995 in a similar vein to the demo material. The Satyricon material is primitive by their album standards, mostly in the vein of the 'Dark Medieval Times' material with fuzzy guitars, Frost's trademark drumming and Satyr's rhythmic Bathory style guitars. The material is solid and interesting with a nice cultish demo feel and some deep growled vocals and synth intros. Enslaved's Yggdrasill from 1992 suffers from an abysmal production job but sounds pretty good despite this fact. Fast fuzzy guitars, grim vocals, well structured percussion and occasional dramatic synth passages surface throughout a typical track. Yggdrasill is the perfect accompaniment to the Satyricon material with a similar degree of variation and interesting songs. The glossy fold out digi-pack features a rant from Satyr and round out a nice little package.
Favourite Tracks - Black Winds (Satyricon), Heimdalle (Enslaved), The Night of the Triumpator (Satyricon)
Rating - 7.5/10

Satyricon   'Megiddo'
Moonfog, 1997
Tyrant:
Satyricon returns with a 4 track mini cd featuring a remix, a rerecording, a live song and a cover track. First up is an industrial remix of 'The Dawn Of A New Age' from Nemesis Divina by Apoptygma Berzerk, which warps the original with beat boxes, fuzzy ambience and spoken vocal passages and turns out very different but decent experiment. The second and best track in my opinion is 'Night Of Divine Power' a rerecording of 'The Dark Castle In The Deep Forest' from Dark Medieval Times with production the equal of Nemesis Divina it sounds like something that could have come straight off of The Shadowthrone. The third track is an admirable live version of 'Forhekset' with a good recording job and execution even if the vocals are a little low in the mix. The final track is a cover of Motor Head�s 'Orgasmatron' with Satyr's rasps churning out the lyrics and a few samples and minor keyboards thrown in. The cover track is a pleasant surprise and well chosen for its lyrics. Overall, if you are a big Satyricon fan ( like myself ) then get this disc, if not you can probably live without it.
Favourite Tracks - Night Of Divine Power ; Orgasmatron ; The Dawn Of A New Age
Mark - 8/10

Satyricon   'Intermezzo II'
Moonfog, 1999
Tyrant:
Satyricon's second mid album mini cd arrives aptly named Intermezzo II. Opening track 'A Moment Of Clarity' immediately displays Satyricon�s viscous new sound. 'A Moment Of Clarity' replaces the medieval majesty of Satyricon's old material with a grim cold modern vibe whilst retaining the bands former riffing style and dynamics with a guest guitar slot from Gehenna's Sanrabb. The second song is a highly sped up cover of Sarcopohago�s 'INRI' and provides Frost a chance to show off his brutal percussion skills in an early death metal style track. Third up is 'Nemesis Divina - Clean Vision Mix' which is basically the same with a few echo�s on some of the vocals but nothing really new. The final track is the weirdest Satyricon have done to date, entitled 'Blessed From Below' it is an experimental drug inspired track that is yet to be finished. This track is broken into three parts - melancholy, oppression, and longing. It starts with keyboards and a heavy groovy muted riff with Satyr performing some sickened rasps over the top with keyboards and industiral elements before fading out with a Mortiis style synth piece towards the end. In the liner notes it reads �this song is under construction and will continue should extreme hallucinations occur� which hopefully they do cos I really enjoyed this new angle. Like Megiddo, unless you are a Satyricon fanatic there is no real need to purchase this disc but fans will love it.
Favourite Tracks - A Moment Of Clarity ; Blessed From Below ; Nemesis Divina - Clean Vision Mix
Mark - 8/10

Satyricon 'Rebel Extravaganza'
Moonfog, 1999
Tyrant:
I was looking forward to hearing whether or not the new Satyricon album would follow the trend that they had established on 'Intermezzo 2' and their cover of 'Kathaarian Lifecode' from Darkthrone Holy Darkthrone and I am pleased to say that it does. Opener 'Tied In Bronze Chains' begins with an air raid siren and is Satyricon�s most erratic and lengthy track to date going from hyperspeed blastbeats to slow Ophidian riffing and back. Frost�s percusion has improved in tempo and style since 'Nemesis Divina' whilst Satyr�s riffs range from the epic whinniness of that disc, to delicate middle eastern inspired riffs, heavy crunching riffs, and even a punky riff. Rebel Extravaganza is a more guitar orientated album than previous effortsso there are less keyboards and a slight industrial vibe although no real industrial elements are employed. Satyricon have moved away from their medieval roots into the modern world which can be seen in both the lyrical and musical content of Rebel Extravaganza as well as its artwork and photography. Lyrics now approach themes like Nostradamus on the eerie hyperspeed 'Supersonic Journey' ( featuring Hammond organs ), misanthropy on the pounding 'Prime Evil Renaissance', and Jesus on the harsh thrashy 'Havoc Vulture'. The usual high profile guest appearance is this time filled by Fenriz ( Darkthrone/Storm/Neptune Towers ) who plays guest tambourine on 'Supersonic Journey'. Some female vocals are briefly introduced on 'The Scorn Torrent' which add an new dynamic to the Satyricon sound being more agressive than feminie and whinny. Satyr�s vocals remain in his distinguished rasp for most of the album occasionally changing in depth and pitch to add character. Rebel Extravaganza features 3 short musical pieces that act as small outro's to the songs that they come after, as well as 7 normal songs with a running time of over 60 minutes. Once again Satyricon prove why they are currently the best and most consistant band in blackmetal.
Favourite Tracks - Tied In Bronze Chains ; Havoc Vulture ; Filthgrinder
Mark - 9/10

Satyricon   �Ten Horns, Ten Diadems�
Moonfog, 2002
Tyrant:
Ten Horns, Ten Diadems celebrates 10 years of Satyricon�s existence with a compilation of the bands back catalogue ranging from Dark Medieval Times through to Rebel Extravaganza. No expense has been spared as �Ten Horns� comes in a full colour box containing a digipak sleeve for the cd, and a full colour booklet containing rare and unreleased photos of the band plus the lyrics to all of the tracks ( sadly excepting �Night Of Divine Power� and �Taakeslottet� the only two tracks with previously unreleased lyrics ). The cd features 1 remastered track from Dark Medieval Times, 2 tracks from The Shadowthrone ( 1 remastered ), 1 remastered track from the Megiddo mini cd, 2 tracks from Nemesis Divina, 2 tracks from Rebel Extravaganza, 1 track from the upcoming Volcano album, and 1 track exclusive to the compilation. Well the remastered tracks have no �obvious� differences from the originals only slight variances in sound, whilst the unreleased Volcano track �Repined Bastard Nation� is a fine dynamic piece of modern blackmetal akin to the Rebel Extravaganza material but slower and darker. That only leaves the exclusive track �Serpents Rise� with a slow build up and some female vocals which would make an excellent intro for an album but as a track by itself is a little lacking, much like the exclusive Satyricon track �Electric Renaissance� from Moonfog 2000. Purely judged on the strength of the material the album easily deserves a 9 or a 10 ( so if you don�t own any Satyricon than get this! ) but from a collectors point of view it could have offered more, still a bloody fine release.
Favourite Tracks � Too many....
Mark � 8/10

Satyricon �Volcano�
EMI, 2002
Tyrant:
After much speculation about the direction of their new album, Satyricon return in excellent form and quash all doubts of a sell out. It is certainly true that Volcano is slower, and less brutal than its predecessor, but looked at reasonably so is the rest of Satyricon�s back catalogue. Volcano exists in the softer moments of Rebel Extravaganza, the more ophidian, almost Indian style riffing segments that raised interest levels in between the faster pounding passages. Think of the slow entwining riff at the tail end of �Mother North� from Nemesis Divina or the Hammond organ supplemented piece in the middle of �Super Sonic Journey�. Some female vocals have been added but only slightly more than those included in �Rebel�� and add to the strange atmosphere the album commands. It is certainly true that some rockier moments do exist in Volcano�s passages, from the more obvious �Fuel For Hatred� ( a short punchy track sure to go down well live ), to the more mellow �Angstridden� which may turn off some of the more close minded Satyricon fans, but on the flip side some more aggressive thrashier elements also make an appearance, take the Slayer like �Possessed�, or the heavier parts of �Angstridden�. �Mental Mercury� starts in more traditional blackmetal style vaguely reminiscent of �Immortality Passion� before breaking down into a slower style segment that should surprise a few people, whilst �Suffering The Tyrants� is a slower, heavier, darker track ultimately adding to the flair and diversity of this highly cohesive release. The album closes with the 14 and a half minute closer �Black Lava�, a hypnotizing delicate dance seething with cold aggression that perhaps goes for a little too long for its own good. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was Volcano�s lyrics, an almost tangible thread holds them together, and they seem to focus on very personal themes. Overall another merciless release from the leaders of the scene and to quote Frost, Volcano is �Black Metal, created and performed with the unmistakable quality and authority of Satyricon�.
Favourite Tracks � Mental Mercury ; Fuel For Hatred ; Repined Bastard Nation
Mark � 8/10

Satyricon   'Now Diabolical'
Roadrunner, 2006
Tyrant:
Satyricon's sixth and perhaps least hyped album opens with the upbeat title track 'Now, Diabolical' containing the driven passion of Fuel For Hatred with a more metallic riff, agression soaked lyrics, and a typical ophidian riffing passage in the middle that has become the bands trademark - sure to be a fan favourite. The second track 'K.I.N.G' is surprisingly soft musically with a catchy groove, but features a typical low tempo Frost percussion and Satyr's usual rasps for a different sound. The next track 'The Pentagram Burns' is a similarly gentle sounding low tempo ambience style track contrasted by Satyr's grim rasps and a slowly built up passage for the chorus with a horn section - interesting. It is by the forth track 'A New Enemy' ( again a softer track ) that you begin to realise this is the albums focus and that the opener 'Now, Diabloical' was the exception to the rule. 'A New Enemy' features some clean deep vocals from John Woz during the quieter musical sections juxtaposed with Satyr's rasps over a heavier riff passage which represents the chorus and bridge of the track. 'The Rite Of Our Cross' begins with a gentle acoustic intro with strange sampled noises in the back ground before breaking into an upbeat ( for this album ) passage before arcing into a really slow ophidian passage for the chorus and another interestingly dark horn section in the middle of the track. 'That Darkness Shall Be Eternal' begins with some interesting spoken vocals over a typical winding Satyr riff before breaking into a more intense riffing/percussion section before slowing into a heavy break down briefly and then speeding up again - a fairly erratic track but a good one. The album closes with two more slower tracks the first 'Delerium' featuring an oft repeated chorus and primarily ophidian riffing, whilst album closer 'To The Mountains' is a slow build up track with fuzzy reverb effects and a cool chorus riff/percussion beat closing with dramatic horns over the ending chorus passages. Overall slower and more simplified than previous releases but different and interesting enough to standout from the bands catalogue like their previous albums.
Favourite Tracks - Now, Diabolical ; To The Mountains ; A New Enemy
Mark - 8/10

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