Satyricon Self Titled Review

Satyricon-Satyricon

Band- Satyricon
Album- (self titled) Satyricon
Score- 2/10
Origin- Oslo, Norway
Label- Roadrunner



If you harken back to Metalist Editor's Alon Miasnikov's word in the 2013 end-of-the-year compilation, he called 2013 the year of comebacks. While many of the bigger comebacks did manage to make great releases, which came to great accolades, such as Carcass' Surgical Steel and Black Sabbath's 13, but there was an unsung comeback album. While the band didn't break up, and did tour, it has been 5 whole years since Satyricon has released any studio material.

Once Black Metal heroes with such timeless classics akin to Dark Medieval Times, The Shadowthrone and Nemesis Divina, Satyricon's reputation has been all but decimated in their last few years of existence. Weak album after weak album, alongside Satyr's many less than “kvlt” endeavors had landed the band more status as the pretty boys of Black Metal rather than the stalwarts they once were. But, after a 5 year break, many thought that perhaps this would be it, that this would be Satyricon's chance to return triumphant and make an album to smack across the face all naysayers. In comes Satyricon's eigth and self titled album, with much hope and anticipation stand on its back.

Yet, unlike many of the other comeback albums of this year, this album falls flat and simply does not manage to impress, regardless of how hard it tries. The first thing you can notice is that, at least to me, the guitar production is, “parve.” (the Hebrew word.) It sounds very plastic and doesn't have that edge that even super polished music has, it just literally sounds like it was played through a very shitty amp. Especially on the heavy parts, you can notice it doesn't have that bite that many other “cleanly produced” Black Metal albums have. Frost also sounds just as dull as on any other recent Satyricon album, forced to maintain much of the same types of drumming he had to do for years now.

The album opens up with Tro Og Kraft, and to be honest, it does the album justice, as it is just as mediocre and lame as the rest of it. There are some parts that would merit a headbang or two, and sometimes Satyr's snarling vocals do get to you, but it all sounds so contained and weak that it has no soul. The album then proceeds with, Our World, It Rumbles Tonight and Nocturnal Flare. As I said before, this album really doesn't change much, and is largely very consistent in its tirades of boredom all along its tiring 52 minutes. Though, Nocturnal Flare had the potential to be interesting if it wasn't preformed so... heartlessly and if it wasn't so fucking long! Jesus, they took a 3 or 4 minutes idea, that would even then not be spectacular, and stretched it to 6 and a half minutes.

The next point of what-the-fuckery came to me with the song Phoenix. Now, some bands take the whole melodic aspects of Black Metal and manage to throw a quality curve ball that spices up the album (key in Shining or Watain) without sacrificing anything, not Satyricon. Oh no, not Satyricon. They took 6 and a half minutes as well, because fuck me right? To make a mid-tempo song which I can only classify as grade Z Katatonia Alternative Rock rip off with guest singer Sivert Hayem. I really have to say that at this point, in my first listening session, I considered giving the album a 1.This song is just an audacious insult tot he intellect of their fan base.

Yet, on the next song, Satyricon show the potential of what this album could have been with Walker Upon The Wind. Brutal, fast, ballsy as all hell, where was this Satyricon in the first 5 tracks?! This song sparked a little bit of hope in me as far as the rest of the album, and hell, even Satyricon's future. If this album was 8 songs of this quality, i'd be singing a whole different tune. Yet the wind under my sails was quickly swayed away by the next song, Nekrohaven. Just again, not interesting, not special, and at this point annoying mid-tempo Black Metal that seems to copy off of itself. I'd be honestly be hard pressed to find such a one note album in recent memory. The vocals on Nekrohaven are also recorded on several different parts a bit differently to give it kind of a robotic sound. This does nothing, and if anything, makes you wonder why they even bothered.

The last two songs again bore you to tears, before letting you go with a 3 minute instrumental part, which by no means is any more innovative than the rest of the album. Just, ugh, really. I can't stress enough how boring this album is, I literally tried to listen to it's entirety at least 2 or 3 times before I managed to finally get through it all in one sitting. I can tell you now that I managed to, i'm not anymore musically complete than I was before succeeding to.



Overall, I do urge you with all sincerity to buy one of the many other great Black Metal releases of 2013, or, if you're just getting into Satyricon, one of the early Satyricon albums instead of this one. Really, in a world where the rising guard of Black Metal is so strong with bands like Watain and Taake, and that there are bands in the old guard which are still releasing balls to the wall material like Gorgoroth and Immortal, there is no place for a band that rides solely on its legacy so vehemently and vulgarly. If you're still in a horrible need of a fix of Satyricon, just go on youtube or on iTunes, get yourself Walker Upon The Wind and listen to it over and over again, it is really far more enjoyable than hearing the entirety of Satyricon's new album. I legitimately gave it only a .5 up from one for Walker.