|
|
|
|
Once grimmer than a grim black robe, on at least their last two albums Satyricon have sharpened their horns and bulldozed their way into a class all their own. Where the mighty Entombed once took their brand of Death Metal and fused it with that Rock-n-Roll groove into what has been dubbed Death-n-Roll, so, too, have Satyricon blended Black Metal with that old time Rock-n-Roll. Y'know, the kind of music that soothes the soul, though in this case it might damn said soul. The result is a potent blend of entirely listenable music that takes the bleakness of Black Metal and marries it to an accessible form of music that should appeal to a broad audience. Well, save those who long for the band's underground days, but these are quite likely the same fans who curse Behemoth's success and any other band perceived to have abandoned their so-called roots.
So no, Now, Diabolical is not going to please people looking for poorly produced or recorded Black Metal in that undead vein of Scandinavian darkness that severely limits itself from the outset. Instead, Satyr and Frost have extended their arms and held up a singular finger to all who might bear witness. They've got endless amounts of groove in this Black-n-Roll experience and if you didn't get on the bandwagon with Volcano, there's still room for you now. On this album you will find everything from clean singing and spoken word a la Type O Negative to clean guitars like circa 1984 Metallica to chanting and period instrumentation like Nile.
With this record Satyricon prove that they are still evolving and not content to rehash what ground they've already tread upon. In a nutshell the madness that is "Delirium" illustrates it all. This song has a trance inducing opening followed by twisted riffing, which plainly rule, and these motifs reappear throughout. All in all Now, Diabolical is a memorable experience from a band still on the rise. Let's see if the public is ready to go back in time and advance the clock at once. "Our Black Metal is closer to the philosophy of Bathory and Celtic Frost than to certain of those more prominent bands from the latter half of the 90s." So sayeth Frost and you better believe.
Bonus round: the album closer "Storm (of the Destroyer)" recalls the mighty Immortal with its blistering, non-stop attack. While this song sounds a bit out of place, it reminds the so-called purists that Satyricon can still whip up a frenzy with blinding speed. Plus I think Frost had to get out some additional aggression.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Now, Diabolical |
| 2. K.I.N.G. |
| 3. The Pentagram Burns |
| 4. A New Enemy |
| 5. The Rite Of War Cross |
| 6. That Darkness Shall Be Eternal |
| 7. Delirium |
| 8. To The Mountains |
| 9. Storm (Of The Destroyer) |
: 47.55
| Buy other Satyricon albums |
