BLOODMOON'S HOMEPAGE-Album Reviews (SATYRICON)

SATYRICON - Dark Medieval Times

Tracklisting:
1)Walk the Path of Sorrow
2)Dark Medieval Times
3)Skyggedans
4)Min Hyllest Til Vinterland
5)Into the Mighty Forest
6)The Dark Castle in the Deep Forest
7)Taakeslottet

Lineup:
Satyr - Guitars, Bass, Acoustic Guitar & Nocturnal Voices
Frost - Drums

This is Satyricon's debut LP, released under Satyr's own Moonfog Productions label. It is a stormingly good debut from this now legendary outfit. The guitars are distorted to the point of total fuzz, and Frost proves himself to be one of the genre's finest drummers with his intense stickwork. Satyr's vocals are ear-splittingly screechy, and the chunks of keyboards here and there add to the richness of this album. The only quarell I do have is the typeface on the CD sleeve, as it is not very clear, and took me ages to decypher. This aside, Satyricon put out one of those classic albums. Buy it!

Rating:

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SATYRICON - The Shadowthrone

Tracklisting:
1)Hvite Krists Død
2)In The Mist By The Hills
3)Woods To Eternity
4)Vikingland
5)Dominions Of Satyricon
6)The King Of The Shadowthrone
7)I En Svarte Kiste

Lineup:
Satyr - Guitars, Grim Voices & Choirs, Acoustics
Frost - Battery
Samoth - Bass, Guitar This is Satyricon's follow up to the excellent 'Dark Medieval Times'. Satyr's vocals have changed slightly, as has the music in many ways, but the winning formula is still there. The guitars are less overpowering on 'The Shadowthrone' than they were on the previous album, and I prefer this, as it suits the feel of the album. You will be amazed how Frost completely demolishes the drumkit on every song, but in particular on 'In The Mist by The Hills'. Frost is one of THE great drummers in Black Metal, and Satyr is a musical genius. To sum things up, this is one of the best releases from Norway ever - better than their first, and you won't be disappointed (even if it were possible for Satyricon to disappoint). An absolutely amazing release.

Rating:

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SATYRICON - The Forest Is My Throne

Tracklisting:
1)Black Winds
2)The Forest Is My Throne
3)Min Hyllest Til Vinterland
4)The Night Of The Triumphator

Lineup:
Satyr - Strings and Nocturnal Voice
Frost - Battery

This Satyricon material was recorded in 92/93 and was re-released in 1996 as a split with Enslaved. This early work from Satyricon is very good indeed, yet is different from 'Dark Medieval Times' and 'The Shadowthrone'. Some would say that the music is less technical than that which is on the other albums, perhaps so, but this was the point when Satyr's genius started to bloom. This is not the only Satyricon demo, there was one before it, but as Satyr mentions on the documentation for this CD, it was not at all interesting. This was the demo when Frost was introduced into the Satyricon equation, and even then, his drumming was amazing. It is just a pity that the recording is the usual 'demo-standard', as the drums could be much more clearer than they are to really show Frost's drumming for what it is. To conclude, if you really appreciate Black Metal, then you need to have this CD, as it has demos from both Satyricon and Enslaved - two of Norway's legendary bands and true black metal practitioners.

Rating:

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SATYRICON - Nemesis Divina

Tracklisting:
1)The Dawn Of A New Age
2)Forhekset
3)Mother North
4)Du Som Hater Gud
5)Immortality Passion
6)Nemesis Divina
7)Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves

Lineup:
Satyr - Voice & Lead Guitar, Bass
Kveldulv - Guitars
Frost - Battery

This 3rd full-length opus from Norwegian masters Satyricon sees them take on a different style to that of the first two albums. Both 'Dark Medieval Times' and the stunning 'The Shadowthrone' are heavily laden with keyboards, with the guitars filling in over the top of them. However, this time, the guitars are the main instruments here, with keyboards being used here and there. The synth bits are still there, and they are superb, but the album is less orchestral than the previous ones. The material is first class, with Frost destroying the drumkit for most of the album's 43 minute duration. Nebelhexe (Samoth's wife) makes a guest appearance on this album with a spoken part on 'The Dawn Of A New Age', which works well. The accompanying CD booklet is excellent. There are plenty of well-taken photographs, and the layout is superb. The album cover is also stunning. It is a falcon tied to an inverted cross, with flames next to it. It is very good indeed. So, the verdict on this album is this: Although I prefer the old style, Satyricon have released another stunning opus. One of the best releases of 1996 in my opinion. Satyr and company have matured since their last release and seem to have perfected their musical prowess, as every song on here is well played. A superb effort from Norway's elite.

Rating:

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SATYRICON - Mother North, The Video

Tracklisting:
1)Mother North version 1 (clean version)
2)Mother North version 2 (risque version)

Cast:
Satyr
Kveldulv
Frost
Monica Braten

This is the video for Mother North, which can be found on their latest album, 'Nemesis Divina. There are 2 versions of this video (on the same tape), the first being the version that can be shown on TV, and the second one contains a bit more, shall we say, 'naked flesh'. The video is very well recorded. Satyricon are shown in full black metal mode, with more spikes than an army of hedgehogs, swords, axes, chains, etc. Also, their is some very good fire-breathing, courtesy of Frost. Satyr is the main man in this video (who else?), and he spends most of his time around Monica Braten, drinking blood from her naked body, escorting her through the forest, etc. This is a very good video indeed. Whilst on the subject of videos, Immortal have a video for 'Blashyrkh' and Varg has one for 'Dunkleheit' which are both just as good, if a little shorter. If you can find these, then check them out.

Rating:

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SATYRICON - Megiddo

Tracklisting:
1)The Dawn Of A New Age (Remix)
2)Night Of Divine Power
3)Forhekset
4)Orgasmatron

Lineup:
Satyr - Strings & Vox
Frost - Battery

What we have here is an EP containing rare Satyricon material. First of all we have a remix of 'The Dawn Of A New Age' by Apoptygma Berserk, which works quite well. It is samples of the original song with added industrial parts. Not bad. 'Night Of Divine Power' is a re-recording of 'The Dark Castle In The Mighty Forest' from the first album. Then we have a live recording of 'Forhekset'. It is a good song, but the quality is awful, as the documentation quite rightly points out. Finally, Satyricon recorded a good cover of the Motorhead classic 'Orgasmatron'. Sepultura did a cover of this a few years ago, but it was too aggressive for the song. Satyricon have got it just right. It is a very good cover. So, to summarise, this is an essential purchase if you are a long-standing follower of the band, or you are a Black Metal collector. If you are looking for first time buy of Satyricon, then it would be better to give this a miss.