Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Some groups need no introduction; the pulsating power that seeps out of every pore smacks with such intensity that Krakatoa hangs its head in shame for causing a whimpering fuss. For Satyricon, the power is magnified by a considerable factor, as if the island that blew itself apart had dug deep into the Earth’s core and found a big brother to stand behind it.
Norwegian Black Metal/Heavy Rock has always had something that British fans can hang onto, the two nations sharing a love of the genre which comes from the Viking and Norse genes that sits deep in the memory and with their latest album, the excellent eponymously titled recording, Krakatoa ‘s big brother cuffs its sibling round the head before slinking back in disgrace and half-heartedly admitting that Satyricon is just too good to take on.
From the opening beat in which the music sounds as if it is marking out the passage of time, the complete nuclear blast that is about to go off between the listeners ears that will leave anyone not used to the group, feeling as if their head is about to crack open and wave a small white flag in surrender. To listen to the album all the way through even once is enough to convince that Satyr and Frost, with the clever addition of the extra scintillating musicianship have really found a line in which to keep coming back to, to whisper from the side lines that anything vaguely even Norwegian would be some of the most interesting to listen too.
The dark, almost demonic like sound of Voice of Shadows envelops the listener in a shroud of thick mist, the tension building as if being stalked by some legendary creature throughout, the pressure finally releasing and exploding with force for the rest of the album. The unnatural brilliance of Our World, It Rumbles Tonight, the rising flame of Phoenix and Nekrohaven all lead into the fantastic Ageless Northern Spirit and music as it is meant to be heard and perhaps life will never be the same again after hearing it.
Some albums are meant to be played loud, some are meant to take you into places that you never thought you would dare travel down, a select few will make you look over your shoulder as a strange shadow passes you by, rarely does an album do all three!
Incredible!
Ian D. Hall