So the last band I reviewed had members of Satyricon so for this review I thought I’d put Satyricon up on the chopping block. Now up until now I’ve only really heard one or two of their songs. I do know that Phil Anselmo is a big fan and that they are supposed to be a black metal band. So that said let’s take a look…………
Dark Medieval Times- so this album is exactly what the name says. It’s a dark album about medieval times. I mean I haven’t listened to as much black metal as I have death metal but I would say that vocally it’s not anything new but the music itself is very medieval-y. It’s a really cool sounding record. Very dark and atmospheric and worth checking out. I’ll give this one 8.5/10
Standouts: Into The Mighty Forest, Dark Medieval Times, Min hyllest til vinterland
The Shadowthrone- one thing to note about this album is that the lyrics are in Norwegian. I will say that it’s not as medieval-y as the last album but it’s still very much atmospheric and dark like it. There aren’t as many acoustic guitars on here but it is harsher. That said I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: Vikingland, Hvite Krists død, I en svart kiste
Nemesis Divina- so I did read somewhere that the band describes this one as darker and more aggressive. Yes it is more aggressive but as far as darker goes, it’s not really any darker than other black metal bands at the time. I would say though that I did enjoy this one more than the last two. The riffs on here are pretty good and overall it’s a bit more cohesive. I’ll give this one 10/10
Standouts: Mother North, The Dawn Of A New Age, Nemesis Divina
Rebel Extravaganza- so this one does still have that black metal sound but it also has some industrial elements mixed in too. I will say that the industrial elements do not dominate the album and they mostly accent the songs. Overall, an interesting record and I’ll give it 8/10
Standouts: Supersonic Journey, Down South Up North, Tied In Bronze Chains
Volcano- so this is the album that has the song Fuel For Hatred on it. I remember the song because I first heard it on the MTV 2 Headbangers Ball compilation cd (anyone remember those?). Anyway, as far as the rest of the album goes, it definitely feels like this one could be their mainstream album. I’m sure lots of people love this album but to me it’s not as good as their others. So with that I’ll give this one 7/10
Standouts: Mental Mercury, Angstridden, Black Lava
Now, Diabolical- so I feel like this one is sort of a continuation of the last album however, it’s definitely a step up. This one actually has some groove to it and I think it’s safe to say that they’ve moved away from the traditional black metal sound. So I guess you could say that they are evolving sound wise. I’ll give this one 9/10
Standouts: K.I.N.G., Now Diabolical, To The Mountains
The Age Of Nero- ok so I definitely remember being in the ESP guitars room at NAMM and they were showing the music video for Black Crow On A Tombstone and I remember download it on my iPod. Now the rest of the album is also awesome. No it’s not back to being black metal but it’s sped up and the drumming and guitar work are excellent. I’m definitely giving this one 10/10
Standouts: Commando, Black Crow On A Tombstone, Last Man Standing
Satyricon- I really wanted to like this album a lot more but it’s too slow. Like the songs are slowed down compared to the last few. Now I will say that maybe they tried this because the first couple records were slow too but the result for this is just ok. I’m giving this one 7/10
Standouts: Phoenix, Nekrohaven, Natt-Different Fade
Deep Calleth Upon Deep- so this one has less of a black metal sound and more of a rock sound which apparently is called black n roll. It’s actually a pretty good album and on some of the songs there’s almost an opera like backing vocal thing going on. It’s weird but it works. Anyway, this is probably one of their more interesting albums. I’ll give this one 8/10
Standouts: Deep Calleth Upon Deep, Midnight Serpent, Dissonant
I guess the one thing you could say that their all their albums sound different. I’m sure that these guys would be awesome to see live but I think I read somewhere that Satyr didn’t want to tour the U.S. anymore. Anyway, this isn’t your typical black metal band and in a sea of black metal bands that can sound the same.
Album Rankings:
- Nemesis Divina
- The Age Of Nero
- Now Diabolical
- The Shadowthrone
- Dark Medieval Times
- Rebel Extravaganza
- Deep Calleth Upon Deep
- Satyricon
- Volcano
Sinister Reviews 