Satyricon
The Age Of Nero

Let's get it into our heads: the Satyricon who created old-school black metal masterpieces like "Nemesis Divina" (I hear someone mumbling, trying to imitate Satyr in "Mother North"...) no longer exist. Due to every musician's need to renew themselves, the realization that the genre was on its last breath, and for some, the fact of having lost their identity, they have embarked on another path filled with groove and more modern sounds which have led them to create controversial works capable of dividing the audience like, probably more than any other, "Now Diabolical". And certainly, from this stylistic direction they do not particularly deviate with "The Age Of Nero", their latest studio work to date. Is it good? Is it bad? To both questions, I would answer yes and no...

Admittedly, like probably all of you, I became passionate about their music with a particular song that I won't repeat here, but at the same time, I don't belong to the circle of hardcore old-school lovers uninterested in any evolution in the sound of a group within their narrow circle of elites. A necessary premise to understand what you will read from here on, I believe...

Yes and no, as was said. Yes and no because ultimately, the work in question, beyond the magnificent proclamations of the good Satyr, stands a bit midway between what were the old productions of the band, productions that, let's face it, helped bring a difficult genre like this to the masses, and the "catchy" phase (so to speak...) of albums like "Volcano" or "Now Diabolical", with results, in my opinion, satisfying albeit erratic.

The first part of the album, in fact, surely surprises the listener in terms of power, freshness and malice: with the opener "Commando" it doesn't even leave time to move your finger away from the play button when immediately Frost, a drummer of undoubted great abilities, explodes with his rage, hammering like an obsessed person supporting a bone-crushing riff, then leaving space for a refrain that, like it or not, can’t help but stick in your head right from the start. Next comes the sinister "The Wolfpack", a dark and monolithic mid-tempo that finds its true essence halfway through: four simple notes, a slow tempo supported by a hypnotic bass line and a sense of unease and cold that, recalling some missteps of the combo and the entire genre, are certainly welcomed. The third song, the fast and furious "Black Crow On A Tombstone," once again features Frost dominating, for a piece that seems made for fans of the wildest headbanging. After that piece, what do you do, take a pause with a darker, slower piece? Not at all, the exact opposite! Fast and with a great immediate impact, the Norwegian duo presents what is probably the most aggressive piece of the entire work and which, in its fury, distances itself most from the controversial style of "Now Diabolical", "Die By My Hand". It may tend to stretch out over time, but it is definitely a piece that can be appreciated.

For now, therefore, after buying the CD with a vague fear of being disappointed, I can only be satisfied with the purchase! In reality, this first half also represents the best part of the entire tracklist. Subsequently, we are not faced with bad pieces, but the feeling given by songs like "My Skin Is Cold" or "The Sign Of The Trident" is that of incompleteness: interesting ideas, hypnotic riffs, and lyrics up to the mark which, however, could probably have been elaborated more effectively and better. "Last Man Standing" is another interesting piece, with a very pompous start, but, a product of the deformation that occurred with the immediately preceding works, it struggles to take off. The CD closes with "Den Siste", a nearly doom-styled piece sung in Norwegian which, thanks to a disturbing and malevolent atmosphere capable of vaguely recalling the old times in its hypnotic nature, helps to decisively lift the fortunes of a second part of the CD not up to the first.

Summing up, what can be said about this "The Age Of Nero"? Another half misstep, or at least far from the old glories if you don’t want to talk about missteps, or a work capable of reassessing what is, without a doubt, a name considered fundamental in the history of BM? Personally, after listening to it over and over, I am quite satisfied with the listen. Okay, the self-imposed benchmark is evidently too strong to be able to appreciate this last effort of the Norwegian duo, but I sincerely believe that absolutely comparing it to that sacred monster is unfair for what the current Satyricon are and especially for the CD in question, which has very little in common with the band’s historic releases and therefore requires listening and evaluating with different perspectives and ears. If you manage to grasp this aspect, you will very likely be satisfied with this work, whether you are among the fans loyal to the old line or who appreciated the band's latest productions. If, on the other hand, you already know that deviating from the old canons does not interest you, direct your gaze elsewhere, provided that currently you can really find something...