Satyricon
Nemesis Divina

The atmospheric disturbances of the past few weeks have literally catapulted us into a scenario that would be reductively described as Nordic. I myself couldn't resist taking advantage of this little Norway that extended beyond my condominium. Armed with a bear fur and a Viking headgear, I began wandering the streets of Modena in a semi-confused state, invoking Odin and convincing many people to join me in the celebration of various pagan rites. Perhaps some of you even saw me... So what to use as a soundtrack for these delirious pilgrimages through streets whitened by the soft snow? I would opt for one of the best albums that ever existed in the panda-black-fucking metal genre, born in Norway around the late '80s and early '90s: Nemesis Divina by Satyricon.

Released in 1996 (perhaps a little too late compared to the masterpieces of some of their compatriots), it incorporates everything that made true black in those years and some slight touches of novelty, especially in the production which, while still low, remains above any other true black album. Another element not to be overlooked are the keyboards, used more to give breath to the songs than to create catacombal or particularly oppressive atmospheres, an intuition already had by Dimmu Borgir and then picked up by Kovenant (just to mention the most famous). To tell the truth, the songs contained within this Nemesis Divina aren't very beautiful, indeed... however, Satyr and Frost (incredible the violence of his drumming) manage to create two absolute masterpieces such as Forhekset and Mother North, which alone are worth the price of the album and the 10 years of the Norwegian group’s career.

The first starts with an arpeggio that progressively develops until reaching the final apotheosis with a wonderful up-tempo where piano and guitar intertwine to create an atmospheric folk feel. The second is a perfect mix of more explosive parts and instead slower, reflective, at times doom parts. After all, the equation tremolo picking + blast beats with ride/blast beats with slightly open hi-hat leaves no escape and this is further proof of it. The other tracks do not differ much from what was proposed by the dozens of black groups that came before this Nemesis Divina (although with Medieval Times of 1993, Satyricon managed to be among the first in this black race) and indeed almost seem composed in a manner absolutely lacking originality.

Few plot twists, the riffs follow one another linearly, despite the many time changes (gasp) and odd/composite times (brrrr) that peek here and there. However… Mother North remains there on the pedestal, unmatched… just below is Forhekset. I don't know how much sense it makes to “buy” a CD for only two songs, but I assure you that it is probably worth it. Ah, I almost forgot... be wary of this group.