SATYRICON — Nemesis Divina (review)

SATYRICON — Nemesis Divina album cover Album · 1996 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Nemesis Divina" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal act Satyricon. The album was released through Moonfog Productions in April 1996. It´s the successor to "The Shadowthrone" from 1994 and there has been one lineup change since the predecessor as guitarist Samoth has been replaced by Kveldulv. The core part of the lineup remains in drummer Frost and lead vocalist/guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Satyr. "Nemesis Divina" considerably heightened Satyricon´s profile and the promotional video for "Mother North" was one of the tools the band successfully utilized to spread their music to a wider audience. "Nemesis Divina" quickly became one of the seminal black metal releases of the 90s.

Stylistically Satyricon have upped most elements of their music on "Nemesis Divina" compared to the preceding releases. The musicianship is stronger, the sound production more professional and intense, and the songwriting has in particular increased in quality. "Mother North" is the most famous track off the album, and it is indeed an absolutely brilliant track featuring both furious blasting sections, epic atmospheric keyboars/choirs, and crushingly doomy sections. But it´s not the only track worth mentioning from "Nemesis Divina", as it´s a strong album throughout. Other highlights include album opener "The Dawn of a New Age", and the raw and aggressive "Du som hater Gud" (translates into "You, Who Hates God").

Satyricon are a well playing act, who deliver their music with precision but also with a raw organic touch, which is important for the authenticity of the music. Satyr´s vocals deserve a special mention, as they are some of the most easily recognisable black metal snarls on the scene. He has a commanding and passionate delivery not many other black metal vocalists can equal. He understands the importance of phrasing and the power of delivering lyrics for impact (in both English and Norwegian). When he sings the first lines of "Du som hater Gud", you are not in doubt that he means what he sings. We can safely establish that there is no love for God and the Christian religion from Satyricon.

Upon conclusion "Nemesis Divina" is a high quality black metal release through and through. There´s good compositional variation and a near perfect balance between the authentic rawness of old school black metal and a more sophisticated adventurous songwriting approach. Satyricon successfully use keyboards, choirs, acoustic guitars, and the occasional ethnic Scandinavian folk element, to spice up their core black metal style, but it´s always just a spice, and never the elements which carry the tracks. The strong riffs, intriguing song structures, and overall clever compositional ideas are what carry the tracks, in addition to the high level musicianship and raw and intense sound production. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.
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