Black Metal can be the boldest of dark cabaret. In 1996 the rise of a legendary new era transformed the humble roots of Black Metal into the monsterous freedom of expression and in defiance of genre principles, Nemesis Divina became a reference point for further exploration of the dank genre. On it’s twentieth year out in the wilderness Satyricon’s third album returns with a fertile poise even more ready to rage your dreams and stun your nightmares. Giving true meaning to the idiom that Black Metal Ist Krieg. “This is Armageddon” after all.
While Satyricon deviated from the lackluster and lo-fi expectations of the genre their intesity on this game breaking album remains prominent and even heightened with the tidied production. The increase in sound fidelity sharpens the teeth of the already harsh tones serrating the air like a sawblade in motion. Classic songs like Forhekset and Mother North release their unfathomable potential as invigorating anthems from a time when rave culture was at its zenith. Offering solace and inspiring a generation of acts to follow.
A modern day classic, Satyricon’s Nemesis Divina was and is again integral to understanding how black metal became such a popular genre. With brutal riffs searing through the aeons accompanied by inspiring lyrics the skies are again ignited with the fire of these valiant nordmen. Yet with Nemesis Divina Satyricon challenged the balance of religious dogma like a primevil force, upsetting some but freeing many from the constraints of the salient principles thurst upon them, and while there are many reasons to celebrate this album the most obvious one being that it’s a slayer.
9/10
