Satyricon

Biography

Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band formed in Oslo in 1991. Satyr and Frost have been the band's core members since 1993, and its only official members since 1997. The band's first three albums typify Norwegian black metal. Since its fourth album in 1999, the band has included elements of traditional heavy metal. Satyricon was the first Norwegian black metal band to join a multi-national record label (EMI).

History

Bassist Wargod and drummer Exhurtum formed the band in 1990 as Eczema. In 1991, they started playing black metal and changed the band name to Satyricon. Satyr (Sigurd Wongraven) joined the band. After the first demo, All Evil, Exhurtum was fired because he "preferred hanging out with [his] girl at the time rather than kicking down gravestones together with the band", while Wargod left the music scene and became a UN soldier. Satyr and Lemarchand hired session drummer Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) and recorded their second and last demo, The Forest Is My Throne. Before leaving the band, Lemarchand recorded guitars (uncredited) for the first album, Dark Medieval Times×Dark Medieval TimesMarch 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Walk the Path of Sorrow8:192Dark Medieval Times8:123Skyggedans3:564Min hyllest til vinterland4:295Into the Mighty Forest6:196The Dark Castle in the Deep Forest6:237Taakeslottet5:54. In the meantime, Frost became a permanent member and recorded drums for the aforementioned album. Satyricon have been a two-man band except from 1993–1996, when Tomas Thormodsæter 'Samoth' Haugen from Emperor was the bassist and guitarist, and participated in their second album, The Shadowthrone×The Shadowthrone12 September 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Hvite Krists død8:282In the Mist by the Hills8:023Woods to Eternity6:144Vikingland5:165Dominions of Satyricon9:266The King of the Shadowthrone6:157I en svart kiste5:24; and later, in 1996, when Darkthrone member Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum, known as "Kveldulv" during Satyricon's period) played guitar on the third full-length Satyricon album, Nemesis Divina×Nemesis Divina22 April 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1The Dawn of a New Age7:282Forhekset4:323Mother North6:264Du som hater Gud4:215Immortality Passion8:236Nemesis Divina6:557Transcendental Requiem of Slaves4:44.
Satyricon released their fourth album, Rebel Extravaganza×Rebel Extravaganza6 September 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks0[untitled]3:201Tied in Bronze Chains10:562Filthgrinder6:393Rhapsody in Filth1:384Havoc Vulture6:455Prime Evil Renaissance6:136Supersonic Journey7:507End of Journey2:198A Moment of Clarity6:409Down South, Up North1:1410The Scorn Torrent10:24, in 1999. During this period, Satyr shaved off his hair, as seen in the album photos and their live performances at the time.
In April and May 2000, Satyricon toured supporting Pantera. Phil Anselmo has voiced his appreciation for black metal numerous times, and has participated in Eibon with Satyr. They were signed to Daron Malakian's label EatUrMusic.

They released their fifth studio album, Volcano×Volcano25 October 2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1With Ravenous Hunger6:402Angstridden6:233Fuel for Hatred3:534Suffering the Tyrants5:085Possessed5:216Repined Bastard Nation5:447Mental Mercury6:538Black Lava14:32, in 2002. It won the Norwegian Grammy for Best Metal Album, the Alarm Song of the Year award for "Fuel for Hatred", the Alarm Award for Metal Album of the Year, and The Oslo award for Best Overall Album.
Satyricon covered "Kathaarian Life Code" for the Darkthrone tribute Darkthrone Holy Darkthrone, which Moonfog Productions released in 1998. That year, Satyricon covered "Born for Burning" for In Conspiracy with Satan – A Tribute to Bathory, released by Hellspawn Records/No Fashion Records.
In 2006, Satyricon released Now, Diabolical.
In March 2008, the band headlined the Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo for the first time.
The band released the EP My Skin Is Cold×My Skin Is Cold2 June 2008 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1AMy Skin Is Cold5:07BMother North (live)9:07Disc 21My Skin Is Cold5:062Live Through Me (re-mastered)5:123Existential Fear-Questions (re-mastered)6:024Repined Bastard Nation (live)5:485Mother North (live)9:06 before their seventh album, The Age of Nero×The Age of Nero3 November 2008 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Commando4:292The Wolfpack4:053Black Crow on a Tombstone3:524Die by My Hand7:075My Skin Is Cold5:156The Sign of the Trident6:587Last Man Standing3:408Den siste7:24, which they released on 3 November 2008.
Satyricon released their self-titled eighth album on 9 September 2013.
The band released their first full length live CD/DVD set, Live at the Opera, which took place in September 2013, alongside the Norwegian National Opera, on 4 May 2015.
A fully remastered 20th anniversary edition of 1996's Nemesis Divina was released on 20 May 2016.
According to Satyricon's official Facebook page, they entered the studio in March 2017 to record their ninth full-length studio album, Deep Calleth Upon Deep×Deep Calleth Upon Deep22 September 2017 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Midnight Serpent6:372Blood Cracks Open the Ground5:053To Your Brethren in the Dark6:244Deep Calleth Upon Deep4:495The Ghost of Rome4:396Dissonant4:237Black Wings and Withering Gloom7:308Burial Rite5:58, which they completed in Summer 2017 and released on 22 September. Frost stated in interviews that once the album was released, they would complete work on their first covers album, Formative Oddities, though they had yet to announce its release date. The band revealed plans to release a new studio album with original material in 2022. This was pushed back to a May 2024 release, though the album did not surface by that point. As of 2026, it is unknown when a new studio album will be released. It will be their longest gap between studio albums when and if it is released.
On June 8, 2022, the band announced the soundtrack album Satyricon & Munch×Satyricon & Munch10 June 2022 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Satyricon & Munch56:07, which they would release digitally on June 10, with physical releases to follow in the future. The album features music created for the Satyricon & Munch exhibition held since April 29 at the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, celebrating Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

Musical style

The band's first album, 1993's Dark Medieval Times×Dark Medieval TimesMarch 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Walk the Path of Sorrow8:192Dark Medieval Times8:123Skyggedans3:564Min hyllest til vinterland4:295Into the Mighty Forest6:196The Dark Castle in the Deep Forest6:237Taakeslottet5:54, showed off the fascination Satyricon had with the Middle Ages and featured raw black metal blast beats produced by Frost, mixed with acoustic guitar and flute. On their next album, The Shadowthrone×The Shadowthrone12 September 1994 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Hvite Krists død8:282In the Mist by the Hills8:023Woods to Eternity6:144Vikingland5:165Dominions of Satyricon9:266The King of the Shadowthrone6:157I en svart kiste5:24, this medieval spirit was continued. Rock Hard journalist Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann wrote that Satyricon reached their "very early zenith" with that album and Nemesis Divina×Nemesis Divina22 April 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1The Dawn of a New Age7:282Forhekset4:323Mother North6:264Du som hater Gud4:215Immortality Passion8:236Nemesis Divina6:557Transcendental Requiem of Slaves4:44.
Describing their fifth studio album, 2002's Volcano×Volcano25 October 2002 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1With Ravenous Hunger6:402Angstridden6:233Fuel for Hatred3:534Suffering the Tyrants5:085Possessed5:216Repined Bastard Nation5:447Mental Mercury6:538Black Lava14:32, frontman Satyr stated in a press release and biography on their homepage that "the music is rock based but more extreme; it is black metal pushing the boundaries that began with bands like Venom and Bathory. Reinventing ourselves based on a foundation of rock-oriented black metal is our philosophy." Mühlmann wrote that Satyricon's path after their zenith was reached with their second and third album has only a limited connection to black metal, whereas Metal Hammer journalist Robert Müller described Satyr as a "latently arrogant guy who, along the way, makes great music that constantly tests the borders of the genre".