Artist: SATYRICON
Album: "NOW, DIABOLICAL (CD)"

Year: 2006
Media type: CD

Arch self-proclaimed Antichrists SATYRICON, founded in Oslo by frontman Satyr (a.k.a. Sigurd Wongraven), Lemarchand (Havard Sorensen), bassist Wargod (Vegard Blomberg) and drummer Exhurtum (Carl Michael Eide) in September 1991, ply Black Metal with some unique twists. The group was rooted in a proto-Death Grind idea dubbed ECZEMA established by Eide and Blomberg, then subsequently Jorgensen, in 1990. At the time of his joining, as ECZEMA changed tack toward Black Metal and adopted the SATYRICON banner, frontman Satyr was a mere fifteen years old.

The group debuted with a demo tape, 'All Evil', recorded with engineer S.K. Sunde on 21st and 22nd June 1991 with a band roster credited as vocalist Satyr "Nocturnal Screams", guitarist Lemarchand "6 String Funeral Machine", bassist Wargod "Electric Doom" with drummer Exhurtum "Apocalyptic Thunder". However, subsequently both Lemarchand and Eide were ejected upon completion of these sessions, the drummer going to ULVER then founding VED BUENS ENDE during 1993. Eide became an industrious figure on the Black Metal scene also contributing to AURA NOIR and INFERNO although billing himself ‘Aggressor’.

SATYRICON's subsequent 1994 demo, 'The Forest Is My Throne' recorded as a duo of Satyr handling vocals, guitar and bass with Frost on drums, was later issued as a split CD with ENSLAVED. Satyr issued a solo album, 'Fjelltronen', under the project title of WONGRAVEN.

SATYRICON's opening full-length album, 'Dark Medieval Times' was set to be crafted during August 1993 at Skoklefald Studios. However, the album was put under jeopardy mid way through the sessions when the band’s label, Sweden’s No Fashion Records, were unable to fund the entire session. Satyr and Frost raised the finances themselves to complete the tracks in September. At first an attempt to mix the tapes was conducted at Grieghallen studios in Bergen but Satyr then returned to Skoklefald for a final remix. Upon release by Moonfog Records, engineered as a subsidiary of avant-garde label Tatra Productions, the album, purposely rustic in sound quality, engendered a deliberate air of mystery. 'Dark Medieval Times' excused itself of all text including album credits, names of those participating and lyrics.

1994’s ‘The Shadow Throne’ album, laid down at Waterfall Studios, featured Samoth (Tomas Thormodsather Haugen) from EMPEROR on bass, but as he was forced to serve a prison sentence was replaced by Kveldulv (Ted 'Nocturno Culto' Skjellum) from DARKTHRONE. Sessioning on keyboards would be the EMPEROR, ARCTURUS and ULVER credited S.S. a.k.a. Sverd (Steinar Johnsen. The following year found drummer Frost (a.k.a. Kjetil Haraldstad) involved with the ZYKLON-B project for the ‘Blood Must Be Shed’ album working alongside Aldrahn of DODHEIMSGARD and EMPEROR men Ihsahn and Samoth.

SATYRICON's next opus, 'Nemesis Divina', was cut in January and February of 1996 and emerging that April through Moonfog, notably including Nebelhexe (a.k.a. Andrea Meyer-Haugen) of HAGALAZ' RUNEDANCE on guest narration on the track 'The Dawn Of A New Age'. Lyrics to ‘Du Som Hater Gud’ were donated by Fenriz. 'Nemesis Divina' accelerated the Satyricon profile in mainland Europe via a license to Germany’s Century Media label.

SATYRICON pulled in Dod (Daniel Olaisen) of TRIOXIN and COBALT 60 for live guitar work and toured Europe on a bill alongside DISSECTION and GORGOROTH in 1996. The 1997 EP, 'Megiddo - Mother North In The Dawn Of A New Age', gave fans a diverse view of SATYRICON and by way of a new license to Nuclear Blast enhanced the group’s status significantly. The track 'The Dawn Of A New Age' was given an Industrial remix by APOPTYGMA BERZERK, 'Forkhekset' was a live version recorded in Germany, 'Night Of Divine Power' would actually be a re-recording of 'The Dark Castle In The Deep Forest' whilst further Industrial treatment was given to a cover version of MOTORHEAD's 'Orgasmatron'. Additional musicians on this EP included CADAVER guitarist Anders Odden and keyboard player Grothesk (Stephan Groth) of APOPTYGMA BERZERK. Ensuing concert dates in 1997 bore witness to a re-vamped SATRYICON with Dod being joined by Svartalv of AETERNUS and GEHENNA on second guitar. Word arrived that erstwhile DISMEMBER man Daemon (Richard Cabeza) had enrolled, but this union proved fleeting.

Another transitional outing, the May 1999 'Intermezzo II' EP, furthered this brave new direction. Boasting a rendition of legendary Brazilian black metal band SARCOFAGO’s ‘INRI’, the set was convened by Satyr and frost in collusion with guitarist Sanrabb, CONCEPTION and CREST OF DARKNESS bassist Ingar Amlien with Vegard Blomberg handling samples.

Having established themselves in the upper rankings of the Norwegian hierarchy, SATRYICON chose not to solidify this success but to challenge it in a daring move. September 1999 found SATYRICON branching out into ever more experimental areas with the ‘Rebel Extravaganza’ album. Confusingly, the album opened up with an unaccredited track, actually entitled 'Down South, Up North', for which an excised reprise was later incorporated further in the running order. Featured guests in the Ambience Studios were as diverse as DARKTHRONE’s Fenriz supplying a simple tambourine beat, Anders Odden, THORNS Snorre Ruch (as ‘S.W. Krupp’), Norwegian trance artist Ra, session musicians Bjorn Boge on bass and Lasse Hafreager on Hammond organ and actress Trine Svensson. Icily executed, 'Rebel Extravaganza' cast off any vestiges of ancestral or folk orientation, adopted standard rock verse chorus structures whilst wallowing in post-industrialism.

Olaisen and Tchort both decamped from the line-up to found the retro Death Metal act BLOOD RED THRONE, later issuing the 'Monument Of Death' album. Olaisen later assembled SCARIOT for the album ‘Deathforlorn’.

In 2000 Wongraven was involved in the all star Black Metal side project EIBON. Debuting with a low profile track on the ‘Moonfog 2000’ compilation EIBON had Wongraven alongside MAYHEM’s Maniac, DARKTHRONE’s Fenriz, NECROPHAGIA’s Killjoy and even PANTERA frontman Phil Anselmo.

Following headline shows in Europe with guests BEHEMOTH and HECATE ENTHRONED the band supported PANTERA on their 2000 European dates. SATYRICON included former EMPEROR and MORPHEUS WEB bassist Tyr (Jan-Erik Torgersen) with SPIRAL ARCHITECT’s Steinar Gundersen and OLD MAN’S CHILD and SUSPERIA Cyrus (Terje Andersen) on guitar for touring duties. Frost would make a return to the scene with his activities with 1349 and session work in 2002 for GEHENNA. Outside of his SATYRICON duties Gundersen made time to found a fresh project entitled LUNARIS.

SATYRICON would rank among one of the very first premier Black Metal acts to sign to a major label, hooking up with Capitol for the 2002 'Vulcano' (later changed to 'Volcano') album in Scandinavia, but remaining with Nuclear Blast for the rest of the world. A promotional video for the track 'Fuel Is My Hatred' would be directed by the acclaimed Swedish film maker Jonas Akerlund. Preceding the new album release would be a compilation 'Ten Horns, Ten Diadems' which included an exclusive cut 'Serpent's Rise'. The band now included Gundersen's SPIRAL ARCHITECT and LUNARIS colleague Lars Norberg on bass. For live work SATYRICON added Arnt Ove Gronbech (a.k.a. 'Obsidian C. of KEEP OF KALESSIN) on rhythm guitar and ENSLAVED keyboard player Ivar Peersen. 'Volcano' struck home at number 4 on the Norwegian album charts. Drummer Frost took a further diversion by joining the ranks of KEEP OF KALESSIN for an MCD release 'Reclaim' issued in December of 2003, this featuring his SATYRICON colleague Obsidian C. and the esteemed MAYHEM, ABORYM and TORMENTOR credited Attila Csihar on vocals,

A somewhat unexpected diversion for Sigurd Wongraven came in February 2004 with BLACK DIAMOND BRIGADE, a one off KISS tribute act assembled by an all star cast seeing the SATYRICON man on guitar alongside AMULET vocalist Torgny Amdam, Knut 'Euroboy' Schreiner of TURBONEGRO on guitar, FAITH NO MORE's Billy Gould on bass with Tarjei Strom on the drums. Their rendition of 'Black Diamond', included on the compilation album of the same name issued in February by Universal Records, peaked at no. 6 on the Norwegian singles charts. The band played a one off televised performance at the Alarm awards in Bergen, teasing the audience with the intro to BLACK SABBATH's War Pigs' before launching into 'Black Diamond'.

SATYRICON were set to continue touring apace across North America into April 2004 as part of MORBID ANGEL's 'American Heretic' dates partnered with SUFFOCATION and PREMONITIONS OF WAR. However, with just weeks to go before these dates the band's participation looked in jeopardy when drummer Kjetil Haraldstad was refused a work visa. According to Norwegian newspaper reports this stemmed from a prior conviction for violence. The situation would be saved when the ENSLAVED, EMPEROR, DISIPLIN and ZYKLON credited Trym Torsson stepped in as replacement. Unfortunately the band's woes did not end there, the night before SATYRICON was to travel guitarist Arnt Gronbech was assaulted and received cuts to the face from a beer bottle. The musician required stitches but made the tour. Subsequently, Gronbech was awarded 130,000 NOK in compensation and saw his attacker found guilty in first degree assault and sentenced to four months in jail.

Haraldstad also announced that he had joined another major force on the Norwegian Black Metal scene - GORGOROTH. However, within weeks of this news release the drummer backed out of the union, citing conflicting priorities with SATYRICON.

The 'Volcano' album finally surfaced in the USA, issued by Sony Music imprint EatUrMusic, the label run by SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian, a full eighteen months after its European release. SATYRICON's August 2004 appearance at the 'Wacken Open Air' festival in Germany proved a landmark event as, following a regular live set, Nocturno Culto stepped up to front four DARKTHRONE songs with the band in 'Kaatharian Life Code', 'The Hordes Of Nebulah', 'Transilvanian Hunger' and 'Under A Funeral Moon'.

With Frost still being denied access to the USA, SATYRICON employed the high profile figure of SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison for 'The Return of the Antichrist' headlining dates commencing 2nd December in San Francisco. Along as support for these gigs would be two Canadian acts, INFERNAL MAJESTY and 3 INCHES OF BLOOD.

However, the whole tour, remaining shows being in Cleveland, Philadelphia, Worcester, West Springfield and New York, would be cancelled after a little over a week's worth of dates. An ominous silence would be broken a few days later when it was revealed that guitarists Steinar Gundersen and Arnt Ove Gronbech had been arrested after the 14th December band performance at the club Fun Haus in Toronto. Both were charged with the drugging and rape a woman on the SATYRICON's tour bus after the concert. The guitarists, claiming innocence, were bailed for $50,000 each. January of 2005 found Satyr acting as co-producer on new material for THORNS.

SATYRICON entered Puk Studio in Denmark with producer Mike Frasier on 17th October to commence work on a new album, 'Now, Diabolical'. In January of 2006 the group announced they had signed to Roadrunner Records for territories outside of Norway and the USA. Released in April 2006, vinyl versions of 'Now, Diabolical' added an extra track 'Storm (Of The Destroyer)'. The album crashed into the Norwegian charts at number 2.

TRACKLIST:

1. Now, Diabolical
2. K.I.N.G.
3. The Pentagram Burns
4. A New Enemy
5. The Rite Of Our Cross
6. That Darkness Shall Be Eternal
7. Delirium
8. To The Mountains

LINE-UP:

Satyr (vocals)
Steinar Gundersen (guitar)
Arnt Gronbech (guitar)
Lars K. Norberg (bass)
Frost (drums)

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