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Satyricon: The age of Nero

18/11/08 || Euthanatos

The black metal crowd is a funny one. As a matter of fact, they’re probably the funniest of the whole metal bunch. First, the wardrobe in itself is hysterical, not to mention the ubiquitous corpse paint. Why do you use corpse paint? Well, someone a long time ago did, so if I want to be true black metal, then I have to… Okay, then, Missy. And is there a more gossip-prone group of people? Just look into Gaahl’s recent homosexual debacle. One would think the financial crisis is merely a side note of World current affairs. If that’s not enough, more than anything, black metal fans love to call each other “false” and “sell-outs”, and one of the favorite targets for these attacks are Satyricon. Why? Well, because the band started writing more complex songs, with a bit more melody and a production where you can actually hear what’s going on. Paint them as Cradle of Filth and Christians already, the torches and spikes are at hand to destroy the traitors.

I, for one, have not only enjoyed Satyricon’s work since “Dark Medieval Times” and their magnum opus “Nemesis Divina”, I also really like their recent stuff, “Volcano”, “Now, Diabolical”, and now, my favorite, “The Age of Nero”. I could tell from the single “My skin is cold” that this was going to be a good album. The chorus was so fucking catchy and the overall tune was so well-constructed, it had to be only a taste of things to come. Well, it was. From the amazing opener “Commando”, to the cut-throat “The Wolfpack”, from the aggressive “Black Crow on a Tombstone”, to the epic “Die by my hand”, everything in “The Age of Nero” reeks of malicious extreme metal, well-crafted and obscene, which forces you to bang your head and tap your feet to the rhythm of its frosty riffs. Speaking of Frost, once again the man proves to be among the metal elite, perfectly aligning his beats to the guitar harmonies. I like this man’s drumming as much as Gaahl yearns for the throbbing of a penis. Ironically, the production is a bit more “old-school” this time, and if fits the atmosphere of the album well. “The Age of Nero” greatly resembles the burning of an overgrown society, a lazy world which has to fall into ash with the screams of every fat cunt consumer in it.

If you think Darkthrone’s “Transylvanian Hunger”, Mayhem’s “Deathcrush”, Burzum, Veles and the like is the only black metal worth listening to, for Satan’s sake, run from this. But if you like extreme metal with a clever touch of melodic sense and lyrics that don’t beg for Satan to ram it up your ass or claims of racial superiority, “The Age of Nero” is certainly a must-have.

The cover: After the dazzling cover for the “My skin is cold” single, I didn’t think there was any topping it. Well, I was wrong. The image of a crow is once again summoned, yet this time it’s a fucking beastly and menacing crow staring you into oblivion.

8.5 pedophile novels out of 10.

Forum member Maverick wanted to let you guys hear his opinion on this album, so we let him:

As Norwegian black metal falls into destruction these days, Satyricon is here, back again with a new album. I myself have been a huge fan of the band since the early days when I first started to listen to extreme music. Regardless of the path they took, regardless of the music no longer technically being black metal or not, but as an extreme metal band, I was always there to appreciate their work. Rather an important existence, influence of my musical career.

What is so special about Satyricon, you may wonder. The band has been a huge part of second wave black metal origination, and yes, we all know that. But that’s not the important part here. This band is not like the other ordinary bands. The band likes to break the boundaries – do more than what’s expected in the genre. Also, the continuous evolvement over the albums differs from others. Once it reaches the limit of greatness, Satyricon (or Satyr even) changes the structure, moves on to try something new instead of repeatedly releasing re-types.

The band’s music has changed paths over the years and this seems to be a problem for some. Due to the huge success in the 90’s, some still expect to hear the old sound. Whether the sound of the first three classic albums, or the legendary ground-breaking “Rebel Extravaganza” – people seem not to be fond of the change they brought. “Black ‘n’ roll” is what Satyricon has been playing since then, basically rock with black metal vibes, hugely influenced by the first wave rather than second wave – you can say it no longer is black metal if you wish. It may be too easy on ears and commercial for the tr00 kvlt elitists, but people seem to forget and misunderstand what Satyricon is all about.

“The Age of Nero” is simply a good album. First impression was positive, and was definitely better than the last two black ‘n’ roll. It’s almost like taking the positivity of the past, but on a completely different level. Darker, stronger, and the music is straight-forward as usual. Unfortunately, the lyrical structure seemed to be rather weaker than in the past. Perhaps it’s because Satyr tried to fit his visions into the shell of Nero (the Roman Empire for who did not know). Satyricon’s anti-Christian theme and Nero’s past actions, beliefs may fit in quite well together but it may have been better if Satyr described it in his own terms. In the production, Snorre Ruch was involved. It’s good to see someone like him getting involved, as he is no doubt one of the last hopes of the Norwegian scene.

There are eight songs in the albums, from the speedy ones to slower ones. You may miss the fast-ass blast beasts of Frost by now but it is sort of back. Check out songs like “Commando” or “Die by my hand”. And what you’ve got to love about Satyricon is their typical unique riffs, especially in songs as “Black crow on a tombstone” – catchy as fuck for sure. Speaking of the catchiness, the song “My skin is cold” which was previously revealed in their EP is back. But the song is modified as an album version, and the way the piece ends is a lot stronger and better – worth another shot for those who did not like it. Lastly, I need to warn you that the mid-tempo songs as “The sign of the trident” may be boring at first but they are one of the songs that grow on you as you listen more. (Matter or fact, even good first impression songs grow even more as well).

I could waste my time going through each track and give you a rough idea of what each sounds like, but hell, it’d be just better if you go check it out yourself. Each song’s elements are strong, thus give it a few spins and let it grow within you (or you may not understand it at all). Norwegian black metal may be dying, and this may not be a good “black metal” album, but it definitely is a good dark/black rock album. My personal favorite goes to “The wolfpack” and especially “Den siste” – it’s almost like going on a slow, dark journey.

8 cold foreskins out of 10 wolfpacks.

Information
Released: 2008
Label: Roadrunner
Website: www.satyricon.no
Band
Satyr: guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals
Frost: drums

Tracklist
01. Commando
02. The Wolfpack
03. Black Crow on a Tombstone
04. Die By My Hand
05. My Skin Is Cold
06. The Sign of the Trident
07. Last Man Standing
08. Den Siste

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