Satyricon
Dark Medieval Times

1993. Just after reaching the age of majority, Sigurd Wongraven delivers a goosebump-inducing masterpiece: "Dark Medieval Times." This album is an institution in the Black Metal field and, in my opinion, the best CD concerning the symbiosis between Nordic atmosphere and extreme violence. Seven tracks, a single long journey in the lands of the extreme North, a quest for transcendence granted only to elevated spirits. "Dark Medieval Times" features raw production, guitars with a confused and muddy sound, the usual drumming technicality by Kjetil a.k.a. Frost. Everything is seasoned with the screaming (already excellent, though not particularly distinctive) of the frontman Satyr. How can I attempt to convey the sensations this record gives me with each listening? I can assure you it’s a rather complex operation, but I’ll try.

The opener "Walk The Path Of Sorrow" starts with a sinister intro, then suddenly unfolds into a majestic, cruel fury, which in turn transforms into a melancholic acoustic guitar melody. The track is a succession of blast beats and more reflective motifs, guided by the excellent keyboards of the little-known Torden. Just as you assimilate this gem of pure art, you are thrown into the vortex of the title track.

"Dark Medieval Times" might be the best song of the batch. The first two minutes are dominated by an ominous riff accompanied by Satyr's screams, then suddenly the verse assumes loftiness, nobility... in these notes, we can sense the misanthropy resulting from unconditional superiority, the wisdom deriving from rejecting contact with common mortals. And then, suddenly, the acoustic guitar appears, dispensing its magic in a hypnotic crescendo. This track too constantly alternates between two main themes: the melodic one, composed of the evocative acoustic symphony, and the electric one, untamed and proud.

We move on to "Skyggedans", the dance of shadows. This is the most compact song of the record, with a duration under four minutes; it is also probably the most direct and easily digestible. So, is it a weak track? Not at all. We are in the presence of a splendid composition of pure Black Metal, in which we can easily find the traces of those Darkthrone always praised by drummer Frost. Excluding the classic central acoustic break, the song is based on icy riffs, frighteningly well complemented by the keyboards, which prove essential in the band's sound. In my view, early Satyricon was the band that most successfully integrated keyboards into their sonic wall in Black Metal, making them an integral part of their "atmospheric aggression" without giving them the role of absolute protagonists. Now let's return to the analysis of the album.

After the most direct song, we find, as an imaginary counterbalance, the most expansive and atmospheric one, "Myn Hillest Til Vinterland." Here, the Norwegian combo sublimates its most folkish and dreamy soul in acoustic partitions that no longer have anything to do with Black Metal. Flute, guitar, and the frontman’s deep voice pronouncing a few words in an incomprehensible language; all this, combined with the perpetual effect of the wind blowing, creates a mood unique in its kind, expressing solitude, melancholy, nostalgia for the loss of "the things that once were" (quoting another fundamentally important artist in the Black field).

Track number five is "Into The Mighty Forest." Another track, another masterpiece. A tight riffing created through the overdubbing of acoustic and electric guitar, a keyboard carpet, and a piercing scream attack with usual mastery; the listener is dragged into a whirlwind of visions where the darkness of the snowy nature merges with that of the human soul, and finds himself wandering with the mind in lost landscapes while the last, splendid guitar run concludes this other magnificent composition.

"The Dark Castle In The Deep Forest". I could limit my description of this fragment, this window opened on dark ages and evil rites, abandoned ruins haunted by restless spirits, to its perfectly fitting title. The sound of the guitars is an amorphous mass, malevolent in its unstoppable advance. The melody itself is sick, unsettling... a litany accompanied by Satyr's voice, reduced to a whisper, the tormented hiss of a soul in pain condemned to wander forever. Another substantially perfect riff, comparable to that of the previous track, concludes this penultimate chapter.

"Taakeslottet", the castle of mist, is the last act of this incredible work. Here too, we find whispered vocals, but this song is not comparable to "The Dark Castle In The Deep Forest." Where that was unsettling, this one is solemn. The track proceeds solemnly, slowly yet unstoppably. Satyr grants a final acoustic break, as always sublime, before the sound of a gong initiates a powerful march toward the End, supported by Frost's truly excellent martial drumming.

I do not intend to waste further words. The categorical imperative for every Metalfan (indeed, for every lover of good music) is to own this CD. An indispensable classic.

P.S.

As for my review of "Nemesis Divina," I allowed myself to review an already reviewed album, contravening the self-imposed rules of conduct. However, my excuse is that the two previously submitted reviews to DeBaser regarding this record are one blatantly copied, the other an evident joke. I hope my gesture is not too audacious.

Regards.