The afternoon of the first Satyricon show in the U.S. in over four years, frontman Satyr is feeling a little antsy. The band still hasn't had soundcheck and he wants to make sure all the board levels are perfect. The band isn't scheduled to go on for six hours, yet several devoted fans have already started gathering in the hopes of getting a glimpse at the black metal legends.
These followers know Satyricon are one of the pioneers of the second wave of Norwegian black metal, and acknowledge that the band's distinctive roar has been extremely influential -- so much so that when Satyricon shifted gears on 2002's Volcano and embraced a slower, more rock-oriented approach, some old-school fans cried heretic. But the ones with open minds accepted the changes and found much to love in the new sound. Strangely, through all the tumult and transformation, Satyricon never really broke through in America the way Emperor, Dimmu Borgir and Mayhem have. That may be soon to change.
This, according to Satyricon, will be the year the band finally triumphs in the U.S., though he admits past efforts haven't gone so well. Eight years ago, they opened for Pantera, whose crowds just didn't get black metal. Then in 2004, Frost was denied a visa to enter the States since he was arrested in Norway in the '90s for taking part in a bar fight. Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison filled in, but shortly after the tour launched it was canceled because touring guitarist Steiner Gundersen and Arnt Ove Grønbech were arrested and charged with the drugging and rape of a woman on Satyricon's bus after a show in Toronto. Gundersen still plays with the band, Grønbech does not. Satyr refused to answer any questions about the incident, focusing instead on the creation of the band's new record The Age of Nero.
Strange, a black metal musician wanting to focus on the positive. But in this case, "positive" means a bleak, vicious, sepulchral album with hooks as sharp and dangerous as the edge of a serial killer's favorite blade. The Age of Nero is a triumphant celebration of the decadence and demise of mankind, a brutal presentation that frolics in the flames and shouts, "Told ya so" with a defiant smile as the earth turns to ash.
Like 2006's Now Diabolical, the songs are as rooted in traditional metal as black metal and the arrangements are often more minimal than those of their the group's Norwegian contemporaries. In simplest terms, The Age of Nero is kind of a cross between Celtic Frost and Darkthrone, with an emphasis on storming double-bass drums, downtuned minor-key riffing and midrange vocal growls. But the songs are treated with atmospheric arrangements (background choirs, augmented chords, unconventional production tricks) that keeps them sounding entrancing and original. And while blast beats and abrupt rhythmic shifts are minimal, when they're employed they're as lethal as an execution squad.
During our conversation with Satyr we discussed how the band wrote and recorded The Age of Nero, Satyricon's desire to break in the U.S. market, the sorry state of the world, how isolation is conducive to personal growth and the video for "Black Crow on a Tombstone." Click "more" to stream or download the podcast. Read more...
