Having emerged as an exciting young black metal band amidst the infernal chaos of the early 90s Norwegian scene, Satyricon have, over the years, dared to do what many of extreme metal’s purists would scold them for; change. Needless to say, the band have faced more than their share of criticism for the shifts in their sound, and while it’s true that their much rawer early material is still generally regarded more favourably, there is still a huge audience for Satyricon, and one which will be awaiting their newest offering with baited breath.

That audience has had to wait some time. It’s been five years since The Age Of Nero, and the band now return with Satyricon (Roadrunner). Self-titled albums usually mean one of two things; either the artist feels that their new work is the perfect representation of their oeuvre or, less pleasingly, they have simply lost touch with their creative muse, and are now unable, or unwilling, to summon another name from the ether. In this case, the evidence seems to suggest the former. Satyricon are certainly not short on ideas at this point.

The first point of interest here is the overall production. Recent Satyricon albums have been characterised by a very clean saturation and polish which, in the eyes of many, has negated the harsh and violent quality at the heart of black metal. This is not the case here; whilst the album is well recorded and could not be described as ‘primitive’ in that way which defines much of the works in the black metal canon, it does exhibit a more raw, analog sound which recalls the mood of Satyricon’s earlier albums. The drums, in particular, sound very natural as opposed to being overly processed.

First song proper ‘Tro Go Kraft’ is a relatively sedate yet ominous opener, more reliant on cold, restrained atmospherics with a subtle, sinister undercurrent than on full blown blast beats and terror. In a sense, this reflects the feel of the entire album; whilst Satyricon is by no means a return to the days of Dark Medieval Times or Nemesis Divina, it is very heavy on atmosphere. This was an ingredient largely absent from the likes of Now, Diabolical, whereas now, that album’s melodic, groove-based approach is much less prominent.

The album’s biggest surprise is ‘Phoenix’, featuring the vocals of Sivert Høyem of Norwegian rock band Madrugada. Høyem’s vocals, for the un-initiated, will be a total revelation, and the song ends up sounding closer to a Queens Of The Stone Age number than a Satyricon one. This is bound to piss off a few black metal elitists, which is never a bad thing. The song does seem out of place in the context of the album though, and it lacks a common thread with the other material, other than the black metal-ish intro. Out of context though, this anomaly can be enjoyed purely for what it is; a perfectly good melodic rock song.

Conversely, the following track, ‘Walker Upon The Wind’ is arguably the album’s most ferocious, and the closest the band comes to the sheer black metal fury of yore, with its blast beats and unhinged riffing. Mainman Satyr‘s guitar work has previously been the one link between the earlier and the more recent material; different in many ways, but always maintaining a certain fiendish quality, which few guitarists seem to match. Now, as on the band’s early releases, Satyr’s guitar work is the perfect fit for the music as a whole, rather than overshadowing the other instrumentation, which was something that had somewhat plagued Satyricon’s post-millennium albums.

Satyricon finds the band looking back, in many respects, whilst moving forward in others. Holding onto the best qualities of their more commercially successful recent works, and certainly not denying us a few surprises this time out, Satyricon are also nodding to their past. They don’t arrive there, but they are certainly acknowledging it, and perhaps song titles such as ‘Ageless Northern Spirit’ and ‘The Infinity Of Time And Space’ – almost parodical in their black metal essence – represent a conscious effort to bridge the gap between the past and the present. Worth the wait? Absolutely.

8/10

Matt Ford

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