Koch Records

In the heyday of Norwegian black metal Satyricon were in the upper ranks of legendary artists, a position shared by bands such as Darkthrone, Burzum, Gorgoroth, Emperor, Ulver, Enslaved and a few others. The first three Satyricon albums, with their epic and unmatched atmospheres of dark, mist-filled night time forests of evil, forbidding mountain fortresses and medieval madness layered by powerful riffs, haunting auras of keyboards, and the occassional folk passage, with the elemental cursed demonic shrieks and rasps of Satyr and thunder of Frost, will always be black metal classics, and some of my personal favorites. With each album they managed to tread away from the beaten path, develop their own unique sound, and all while creating something unforgettable, untouchable, and eternally... magical. Yes, I said magical. It's a very sinister form of magic, but magic nonetheless.

Toward the end of the 90's Satyricon's sound had evolved into something very different than what originally drew in the diehard fans. Well, to be entirely honest, the sound of Satyricon (before they were known as Satyricon) used to be death metal in a style similar to Carcass. But as Satyr joined and others left, they set their sights in a very intentionally black metal direction. Shortly after Nemesis Divina, heralded by many as Satyricon's crowning achievement, the band released two perplexing EPs which were a combination of covers, live songs, remixes, and a few originals. While some of this material was straight forward punishing black metal, other tracks suggested a brave new direction for the band...

But this is a review of Satyricon's most recent album, not a history lesson. Let me cut to the chase and say what every Satyricon fan, past and present, has known: after Nemesis Divina, Satyricon started to lose the magic. At first, the fury was still there. Rebel Extravaganza retained some of the power and driving violence of black metal, as well as still having a fair amount of good riffs and enough good ideas to pass as a competent album, though not on the level one would expect of Satyricon, making it a stormy disappointment to most. 

And it just got worse after this... The Age of Nero is Satyricon's seventh full length album, and their fourth since they left behind the glory days of a truly extraordinary music machine.

Satyricon is the Metallica of black metal, I'm afraid. Both bands, during the peak of their respective subgenres, made colossal, timeless, uncompromising music that to this day is a staple of the style. And both bands, after a number of arguably classic albums, began to slowly, but surely, simplify and dumb-down their sound to gain a wider audience with a more commercial-friendly sound. Though Metallica's commercial success dwarfs anything accomplished by Satyricon, or any other metal band for that matter, the similarities go on and on. Volcano and Now, Diabolical saw Satyricon getting more and more dull, less complex, and just so far away from anything interesting that it is puzzling why they still make music.

The Age of Nero continues the trend of Satyricon becoming a more boring band with every release. I continue to buy their albums because I keep hoping, eventually, that they will wake up and find that magical touch again. So far that hasn't happened. Some say that Satyricon stopped playing black metal. That's not absolutely true, as there are big doses of (some kind of) black metal on all of these albums, though it is presented in a way most metalheads are not accustomed to. It sounds like a radio rock band trying to imitate black metal, and poorly. This latest album starts out with a kick, sparking a bit of hope in the ear of the long-time fan, with Frost's rapid machine-gun drumming and a suitably dark riff that may hint at things to come. Unfortunately, it all goes down from this point. For 95% of the album, Satyr's formulaic writing, riffing, and vocalizations put the listener into a coma - a very bored coma. There is no passion, no intensity, no fury or melody or quality in just about anything here. The riffs are wholely unremarkable in every possible way, serving as nothing more than an impotent sound drifting along above the drums and occassonally weaved by vocals, which sound harsh, yet equally uninspired, uninteresting, and like a further imitation of what once was black metal. Frost's drumming is not terrible, not fantastic. It is just there. But I suppose he can't be blamed too much, because there's not a lot he can do with this music that Satyr has written. 

It has apparently been Satyr and Frost's wish, over these last many years, to chisel away the sound of Satyricon, so to speak, to become more bare, more simple, and more straight forward. I think this can be done without sacrificing too much. And I think good music can still be made in this way, but Satyricon choose to not do this. Every riff on this album goes nowhere. Every drum beat is so simplistic it could be a drum machine instead of a thinking human. If I didn't know any better (and I don't) I would assume that each and every track of this album was written in the studio, perhaps a couple hours before recording began.

I don't know what Satyr's deal is. I can't believe he can be writing this stuff thinking that it sounds good, and that he is proud of the final product. How could the man who wrote Mother North, Forhekset, The Dawn of a New Age, The Dark Castle in the Deep Forest, The Night of the Triumphator, Hvite Krists Dod, Vikingland, or The King of the Shadowthrone be writing this music? He's capable of so much more, so why has it been so long since he's put out anything of such superior quality? I am very confused by Satyr and his desire for a rock star existence. It's apparent that this status of his is more important to him than his music, because no self respecting band, especially one that has been around for almost 20 years, can release this kind of stuff and be proud of it. And a band that released Dark Medieval Times, The Shadowthrone and Nemesis Divina should be especially disgusted with this kind of stuff having their name on it.

I love it when a band can venture away from their old sounds and explore new territory, creating a new sound that is all their own. In no way do I fault a black metal band for trying to become something else. It is the case with many bands that, once they have been playing a style long enough they may lack the creativity or drive to explore new sounds. It may also be that, once they have grown tired of what they are doing and do decide to explore new sounds, they may need to make small transitions at first for either their own comfort or that of their fans, or because it seems the natural way to go. It is also the case that when bands veer from familiar territory there is always the chance that a new sound they work on may not work. They may strike out a few times with experimentation and ideas that can't deliver. But if they wish to continue the exploration, they eventually find something that works, or many things that work. This is the case with Ulver, for instance. Once a brilliant black metal band, they have dabbled in Norwegian folk, industrial, various forms of electronica, minimalism, and dozens of other styles. Most of it has been wonderful.

Satyricon hasn't even veered that far from familiar territory, though. They're not exploring new genres, or experimenting with a variety of sounds and styles or influences. They're making a dumbed-down, watered-down, commercialized, over-produced (yet somehow entirely lacking in proper production when it comes to a few elements), less interesting, less exciting, unenthusiastic version of music that still has much fundamentally in common with black metal - it just lacks just about everything that makes it good. 

Of the few positive qualities this album has, it's hard to really notice them in the thick muck of everything else that brings it down. On occassion there will be an alright riff here or there, but it's easy to miss it because the album just drones on in a repetitive and non-dynamic way not at all like a hypnotic black metal album done RIGHT will "drone on" to create an atmosphere. There is no atmosphere, here. As boring as this stuff sounds on record, I don't imagine it sounding much better in a live setting. It's possible it could, though. If it were played faster and with more energy some of this material could pass as decent. The flat, lifeless production prevents even the very few good ideas on here from being anything more than just another link in the chain of suck, though. 

I make it sound like this is the worst album I've ever heard, and it's not. It is the worst black metal or even metal album I've bought in quite some time, though. Only because it has the name Satyricon on it did I give it a chance. And perhaps it is also because it is Satyricon that I am so harsh and critical of it. I know that they are capable of much better things, but it still remains a mystery to me why they've acted incapable for so long. As background music, this album is not bad. But I am one who likes to have my music in the foreground, having all of my attention. I don't particularly seek out albums that serve as good background music, though there are a number that I find almost essential. Satyricon is a band that used to make engaging music that got your senses running, and that you could feel in your brain, as it required your full attention at all times. Now their music belongs in the background while you're doing any of a number of more important things that your brain could more happily be focused on.

I remember when I was something of a Satyricon fanatic back when I first discovered them right after the release of Nemesis Divina, and immediately checked out their past releases. I was in love with their sound and what they were doing, and rightfully so. It was brilliant. The releases after that were not as immediately exciting to me, but I continued to give them a chance because a band that was full of such greatness at one point would, I thought, eventually have it again. I am sad to say that this will be the last Satyricon release I purchase before hearing. No longer will I be able to support this band that makes boring, lifeless, pointless stuff like this.

1. Commando

2. The Wolfpack

3. Black Crow on a Tombstone

4. Die By My Hand

5. My Skin is Cold

6. The Sign of the Trident

7. Last Man Standing

8. Den Siste

4.6/10