Not too long after the release of “Now, Diabolical”, Satyr and Frost strike back with their new album, “The Age of Nero”.

The previous album didn’t create the best of impressions, but I think that Satyricon will receive better treatment with “The Age of Nero”. “The Age of Nero” comprises mainly relatively short and direct tracks, pacing at mid-tempo rhythms most of the time. The album’s sound is somewhat cold and emits an industrial feel, largely due to the guitars which sound dry and sharp. At the same time though, the sound is full and compact. Once more, a very good job has been done with the drums, where Frost plays as technically as is needed. Now, I don’t know if this is for good or bad, but it seems to me that “The Age of Nero” doesn’t have high-and-low’s as far as quality is concerned: I mean, there isn’t a song that stands out too much, but there isn’t any one that is terrible either. I personally like “The Wolfpack”, “Black Crow on a Tombstone” and “Den Siste” the most, but there isn’t anyone I don’t like at all. My main problem concerning this album is that I sometimes get the feeling some phrases and riffs are repeated (however, someone could argue that this makes the whole listen more coherent).

Finally, I would say that even though “The Age of Nero” is not a spectacular record, it is at the very least consistent and noteworthy.

Artemis Kostaki