These days it seems that even the field of extreme metal - which by definition should be destroying boundaries instead of creating new ones - has become saturated with sub-genres, where minimal stylistic differences turn into criteria for what's hot and what's not.
And stylistic in this sense doesn't even stop with music; it's as much about fashion, image and appearance. Norway's Satyricon are a rare exception to this norm – they never cared for trends, for the latest fashion in how one is supposed to present oneself and they always abhorred the tried and tested genre stereotypes. The result is a notable career, spanning eight albums that always put the music first, often as a surprise and challenge to the listener, which creates, we should all agree, a deeper satisfaction than any devotion to set formulas. And most importantly it is a career telling a great story about what an artist can achieve through strict adherence to his principles and ambitions.
Satyr, the driving force behind the band, never made a secret out of his plan to turn Satyricon into more than just the darlings of a subculture, but into a generally well-known and respected metal band. He's been working on it for more than 15 years, and the results have been impressive. There is a strong sense of rejection running through Satyricon's work: The medieval fantasy settings of the earliest releases quickly made way for bone-dry, pure emotion. This band is going to the essentials, they stripped away all ambiguous metaphors and developed a very refined sense for sombre, great melody lines and precise, overwhelming rhythmic structures courtesy of drum legend Frost, culminating in their critically acclaimed last effort "Now, Diabolical".
Now the stage is prepared for the next step: "The Age of Nero". Largely written in a remote cabin deep in the Norwegian woods by Satyr in collaboration with his old friend Snorre Ruch (of Thorns; himself a legendary figure in the history of Norwegian extreme metal), it features eight of the heaviest songs in Satyricon's history. Then again this heaviness is not the raison d'etre for "The Age Of Nero", it is a necessity dictated by the inherent power of the songs. From the unstoppable urgency that marks 'Black Crow On A Tombstone' to the epic frenzy of 'Die By My Hand' and the bleak nihilism of 'Den Siste' - each title demands the utmost sonic intensity. They got it, thanks to the skilful song writing, execution and production. Most parts were recorded in Los Angeles in renowned places such as Sound City (where among many others Metallica and Slayer recorded drums), with Satyr acting as producer and Joe Baresi (Tool, Queens of the Stone Age) twisting the knobs. In a bold departure from their previous way of working, the guitars have been seriously down-tuned, adding to the raw power of the sound. Drummer Frost does an exceptional job in supplying a fundamental that seems almost casual in its measured aggression, but defines the rocking blackness of the album as much as Satyr's pronounced guitar work.
And before you summon pictures of Sir Peter Ustinov in his famous role in the movie "Quo Vadis": "The Age of Nero" features no mad emperor playing the lyre to a backdrop of burning buildings, the album title is as vague an allusion to Roman history as is the band's name to Roman author Petronius. There is no metaphor here, just, in the words of Satyr, "a nod towards the hedonism of the late Roman empire", which feels appropriate in our time of growing detachment from the grim realities of existence. "Nero" is the Italian word for "black", which is the better summary for what this album is all about: the darkness within, that which remains when you strip away the conventions of culture and civilisation from human nature.
It's tempting to call this "thinking man's metal" and to a certain degree it's a fitting description: With every detail of the music and production meticulously planned and executed, there is no feeling of improvisation, of chance success. On the other hand, the core is not technique, but feeling. "The best songs dictate themselves", explains Satyr. In this sense "The Age of Nero" indeed is a force of nature, a natural translation of the subconscious urges and powers into sound. This is metal music in its most mature form - not as simple escapism or a form of anger management, but as a profound experience of what it's like to live in the increasingly dark age ours has become.
25/06/2009 - CRADLE OF FILTH'S DANI FILTH BLOGS Apologising "for the lateness and irregularity of [his] correspondence", CRADLE OF FILTH'S Dani Filth has updated the blog on the bands 16/04/2009 - ANOTHER UPDATE FROM THE RD FROM SATYRICON- A GUITAR LESSON It's been a while but SATYRICON have hit us up with an update from on the road and this time, Satyr is running us through ... 01/04/2009 - CRADLE OF FILTH TO CO-HEADLINE BLOODSTOCK CRADLE OF FILTH have been confirmed as co-headliners at this years BLOODSTOCK festival, which will take place 14th-16th August at Catton Hall, Walton on Trent, ... 22/01/2009 - PAUL ALLENDER FROM CRADLE OF FILTH INTERVIEWED ON HARDTIMES.CA CRADLE OF FILTH are currently gallivanting across the USA with label mates SATYRICON 09/01/2009 - ROADRUNNER MP3 ALBUMS FOR A FIVER- INCLUDING MACHINE HEAD, DRAGONFORCE AND MANY MORE AMAZON.CO.UK have a killer offer on MP3 albums at the moment where you can get some titles for the bargain price of £5 until the ... 12/12/2008 - SATYRICON GET KKKK IN KERRANG! FOR THEIR STORMING LIVE SHOW Extreme metallers SATYRICON recently played 3 UK dates as part of their current European run of shows in support of their current album THE AGE ... 11/12/2008 - THE LATEST TOUR UPDATE FROM SATYRICON- FROM THE COLLUSSEUM!!! SATYRICON are continuing their touring through mainland Europe and have sent us yet another of their tour updates. This time, Satyr speaks to us from ... 10/12/2008 - SATYR RUNS US THROUGH HIS TOP 5 CARS Ever wondered what Satyr from SATYRICON gets up to when he's not fronting one of the most famous Norwegian extreme metal bands? Well, he loves ... 08/12/2008 - ROADRUNNER BARGAINS ON ITUNES If you head over to iTunes NOW, you will find two amazing Roadrunner offers!!For the month of December the NICKELBACK back-catalogue will be reduced to ... 08/12/2008 - CHECK OUT THE LATEST TOUR UPDATE FROM SATYRICON Check out the player below to watch the latest tour update from SATYRICON. This time it's Frost who takes the front seat (literally) to fill ... 25/11/2008 - SATRICON ON THEIR MOST INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS SATYRICON are currently in the UK for some shows to promote current album THE AGE OF NERO, finishing their run tomorrow (26th NOVEMBER) with a ... 24/11/2008 - SATYRICON'S SATYR ATTACKED BY DOG! Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds. Bruce actually seems a friendly if slightly slobbery fella! He joins Satyr as he updated us from ... 21/11/2008 - THIS WEEKS ROADRUNNER RECOMMENDS PLAYLIST It's an excectic mix your illustrious web master has selected for you this week, fueled by new video releases, past loves relived and eger anticipation ... 13/11/2008 - PHIL ANSELMO LOVES SATYRICON- CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN HIMSELF! When DOWN were in the UK earlier this year, we sat Phil down for a chat and we learnt that he has a fondness for ... 13/11/2008 - SATYRICON'S SATYR WONGRAVEN INTERVIEWS SLIPKNOT'S JOEY JORDISON The paths of label mates SLIPKNOT and SATYRICON crossed recently in Norway and P3 T 12/11/2008 - CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO FROM SATYRICON SATYRICON premiered their new video on their OFFICIAL WEBSITE yesterday (11/11). We can now present that v 12/11/2008 - SATYRICON TAKE US THROUGH THE AGE OF NERO, TRACK BY TRACK SATYRICON recently ran TERRORIZER.COM through their new album THE AGE OF NERO (in stores NOW), track by track. 07/11/2008 - SATYRICON ALBUM Q&A RUNNNING ON ROCKSOUND.TV Rocksound have posted a video of Satyr discussing the recording and writing of new album 'The Age Of Nero'. WATCH IT HERE THE AGE OF ... 31/10/2008 - THE BBC GET DOWN WITH CRADLE OF FILTH AND SATYRICON Who would have thought it. The British Broadcasting Corporation are into a bit of extreme metal- well, on their radio rock shows at least!Tonight (OCTOBER ... 31/10/2008 - SATYR TALKS TO ROADRUNNER UK ABOUT SATYRICON'S 'THE AGE OF NERO' When SATYRICON were in London recently, ROADRUNNER UK spoke to Satyr about the recording of the new album 06/10/2008SATYRICON STREAM UPCOMING SINGLE 'BLACK CROW ON A TOMBSTONE' SATYRICON have made thier upcoming single BLACK CROW ON A TOMBSTONE (which will be released on the 20TH OCTOBER) available for your listening pleasure, right he 25/06/2009CRADLE OF FILTH'S DANI FILTH BLOGS Apologising "for the lateness and irregularity of [his] correspondence", CRADLE OF FILTH'S Dani Filth has updated the blog on the bands 12/02/20083 Inches Of Press Listen up, deadly sinners, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD has been getting quite a bit of press lately... First off, webzine Pivotal Rage conducted an interview ... 10/12/2008SATYR RUNS US THROUGH HIS TOP 5 CARS Ever wondered what Satyr from SATYRICON gets up to when he's not fronting one of the most famous Norwegian extreme metal bands? Well, he loves ... 16/04/2009ANOTHER UPDATE FROM THE RD FROM SATYRICON- A GUITAR LESSON It's been a while but SATYRICON have hit us up with an update from on the road and this time, Satyr is running us through ... 12/02/2008Joey's Top 10 Records Of 2002 So it's nearly the end of the year again. The music chart is filled with Best Ofs and compilation CDs, the magazines are filled with ... 12/02/2008REDEEM YOURSELF THIS FRIDAY Make sure that you leave the pub early this friday as REDEMPTION TV are busting out some of the finest moments from this years download ... 13/11/2008PHIL ANSELMO LOVES SATYRICON- CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN HIMSELF! When DOWN were in the UK earlier this year, we sat Phil down for a chat and we learnt that he has a fondness for ... 12/02/2008Roadrunner artists confirmed for With Full Force Festival in Germany Satyricon, Hatebreed, and Walls Of Jericho have been confirmed to play With Full Force festival, set to take place June 29 – July 1 at ... 12/02/2008ROADRAGE 2007 - THE RETURN If you cast your maind back to last year, you will remember that we released another in the series of ROADRAGE DVD's, featuring a plethora ... 12/02/2008A FROSTY INTERVIEW OK, we know what you're thinking, you appreciate us doing interviews, audio track by tracks, bloke tests and the like, but you wish it was ... 30/10/2008SATYRICON ON THE COVER OF THIS WEEKS KERRANG!- SEE BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SHOOT! SATYRICON are gracing the cover of this weeks KERRANG! magazine! The issue is on shelves NOW, dated November 1st. 12/02/2008FEEL THE RAGE!!! Listen up peeps! The Roadrage 2006 low-price DVD will once again be exclusively available from HMV for £7.99 around late Aug/early Sept. And if you ... 12/02/2008Joey Drums For Satyricon On December 2nd Satyricon kick off their second US Tour this year. The tour will include our very own Joey Jordison (Slipknot, Murderdolls) playing drums ... 01/04/2009CRADLE OF FILTH TO CO-HEADLINE BLOODSTOCK CRADLE OF FILTH have been confirmed as co-headliners at this years BLOODSTOCK festival, which will take place 14th-16th August at Catton Hall, Walton on Trent, ... 21/11/2008THIS WEEKS ROADRUNNER RECOMMENDS PLAYLIST It's an excectic mix your illustrious web master has selected for you this week, fueled by new video releases, past loves relived and eger anticipation ... 08/12/2008ROADRUNNER BARGAINS ON ITUNES If you head over to iTunes NOW, you will find two amazing Roadrunner offers!!For the month of December the NICKELBACK back-catalogue will be reduced to ... 24/11/2008SATYRICON'S SATYR ATTACKED BY DOG! Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds. Bruce actually seems a friendly if slightly slobbery fella! He joins Satyr as he updated us from ... 12/02/2008THE GODS ARRIVE Last night at the KOKO in Camden, the red carpet was laid out ready to recieve the metal royalty - it was of course the ... 09/01/2009ROADRUNNER MP3 ALBUMS FOR A FIVER- INCLUDING MACHINE HEAD, DRAGONFORCE AND MANY MORE AMAZON.CO.UK have a killer offer on MP3 albums at the moment where you can get some titles for the bargain price of £5 until the ... The Age Of Nero The Age Of Nero The Age Of Nero SE The Age Of Nero SE Black Crow On A Tombstone Black Crow On A Tombstone My Skin Is Cold My Skin Is Cold Now, Diabolical Now, Diabolical Other
