Since its inception, black metal has been pretty limited. There's old-school black metal like Venom, brutal bands like Dark Funeral, and there's atmospheric/melodic black metal like Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child. But that's pretty much it in black metal's variety department. Until now, that is.

When they released their first album in 1993, Satyricon were more-or-less a brutal black metal band (mostly thanks to drummer Frost's blast beat barrages). Boy, have they come a long way since then.

The band's sixth full length release, "Now, Diabolical," is about the closest you'll get to a "Black Album" in this genre. (It even begins with a riff which is almost identical to Metallica's "Enter Sandman"!) Granted, it's a move towards the mainstream (it's even tied with Dimmu Borgir's "Death Cult Armageddon" for the highest selling black metal album ever released) because it's far less brutal than Satyricon's older material. But it's also more unique, creative, and has more individually memorable tracks.

The songs are much more stripped-down and the tempos are greatly restrained. Frost is still the man behind the drums, but he's no longer pounding them with insane speed. He still thumps the skins profusely, but the record's production (and occasionally, as in "To The Mountains," melodic guitar parts) hold them down and prevent them from becoming dominate. Add a bunch of groovey guitar leads and a sporadically audible bass note and you have Satyricon's new sound. The only old-school characteristics that remain here are Satyr's high, snarly/raspy yet still intelligible vocals, and his none-too-subtle (or nice) lyrics (i.e. "We want your head on a plate").

Some of the songs become kind of repetitive and are overly long, but suffice to say, every track here is a keeper. "K.I.N.G." is one particularly catchy number with slowly thumping drums and a guitar lead you just might be tempted to hum along to. "A New Enemy," possibly the record's best cut, begins with a very fast rhythm, but it stops on a dime when a slow tempo change kicks in and tribal drums and other background noise are adopted. Similarly, "The Rite Of War Cross" opens with fast, lurching guitar hooks and propulsive drumming and segues into a section with French horns and soft strings. "Delirium" has a catchy, chugging riff and equally as catchy, stop-start percussion, but the song's main highlight is its very pretty and ambient (almost piano-like) strings. The only straight brutal moment to be found on the album is the closer, "Storm (Of The Destroyer)," which is surprising in its heaviness and is backed by scorching riffs and Frost's relentless double bass hammering.

There is a slight chance that Satyricon changed their sound for this album only, and are planning on going back to their brutal roots for most of their future recordings. But the more likely choice is that the band are trying to more-or-less redefine themselves and will continue in this vein in the future. If that's the case, you should get used to that fact and realize that this sound is even an improvement over their previous ones. "Now, Diabolical" is one of the most streamlined and controversial releases since Metallica's aforementioned disc, 1991's "Black Album," and it thus seems tailor made for diehard fans to yell "sell-out" at. However, those who leave the nitpicking to the black metal purists will find this record is equally as powerful, memorable, and offensive as the band's early stuff, but it also simultaneously manages to be far more innovative.

I'm sure it isn't. I'm sure Satyircon are being disowned by their old school, old style faithful for sounding like this, and being called genre taitors or something... and I don't care. I don't care if this is the Britney of Black metal, I like it.

Buzzsaw guitars, reefed up in your face. Pounding and pummeling drums. Non-existent bass (this IS metal... what's the bass player for anyway? Just another guy to split the checks with... forget him :P You want bass, go listen to Primus). Darth Vader with throat cancer rasps of pure evil... and the lyrics are text book evil. I can't take them seriously (who could?), but ooohhh, that SOUND!

This album just rages and GROOVES (blasphemey for black metal fans, I'm sure)... check out the single "K.I.N.G."... could be the soundtrack for a dark haired, tattooed stripper's spotlight dance, couldn't it? And that production... Yeah... I'm sure fans of old school Immortal, Burzum, Bathory, Venom, Celtic Frost, and Mayhem absolutely HATE this.

It's the Motley Crue of 2000's black metal, and it's just plain good. So sue me.

I think it would be appropriate to start by lamenting the fact that there are still reviewers on here as well as in various publications who turn their noses up at Satyricon's newer works (starting with Rebel Extravaganza) for the sole reason that it is "not black metal." "It's nothing like Dark Medieval Times!" "I want more of the Nordic spirit!" Such verbal diarrhea is somewhat in the vein of the whole "more punk than you" attitude, and seems aimed at miring all metal bands in the murky depths of mediocrity and uncreativity. Personally I think people who pass off such idiocy as an accurate review should be gagged with their own dirty underwear and be banned from Internet use for a year.

This is not to say I think bands should deliberately try to anger their fans. On the contrary, I think bands owe a lot to their fans. Loyal fans are the people who make a band big, and who provide a lot of the inspiration to make more and better music. This does not mean, however, that a fan has any right to feel "betrayed" if their band does not release an album in exactly the same vein as their previous works. If anything, I have more respect for bands who are willing to experiment with different sounds and techniques to try to reach a new level of musicianship, rather than rely on a single formula, which ends up slowly killing off a once-good band. It bothers me to no end when people complain that band has abandoned their "roots" when it is clear that their newer material is interesting and novel. In this manner, I cannot help but wonder why any of Satyricon's fans would rather the band released rehash after rehash of the same theme (Morbid Angel, anyone?) rather than expanding into new territory.

Anyway, expanding into new territory is exactly what Satyricon has been consistently doing since 1999. Rebel Extravaganza was a very bold (if disjointed) step away from the genre of black metal and into their own new genre. (I hate the idea of labeling bands as a specific genre, particularly when their music defies classification, as Satyricon's does.) They showed they were not afraid to mix elements of industrial noise and good old fashioned rock & roll into the intense metal foundation they had built for themselves. Personally, I thought the end result was great. Some of the songs sounded like they were assembled out of little songlets individually composed, which I do not particularly care for, but on the whole, a relentless and creative album was the end result. Hardly anything to complain about.

Now we have "Now, Diabolical." First of all, I recommend throwing away the case and sleeve so you aren't bombarded by the Satanic silliness our Norweigian friends think is cool. While the misanthropic nature of Rebel Extravaganza had its silly times as well, there is just something about how seriously Satyricon takes the whole concept of Satanism and whatnot. My first reaction when I heard that the new album would be called "Now, Diabolical" was to laugh out loud, much in the same manner as I did when I heard the album title "Volcano," or when I first saw a picture of Satyr sitting on a throne in full corpsepaint in the sleeve of "Nemesis Divina." To be fair, English is not these guys' first language, so maybe the concepts they deal with would sound better in Norweigian. To be honest, I wish Satyr had written the entire album in Norweigian because most of the lyrics are toture to listen to. Well, maybe that is over the top, but listeners will understand what I mean when they hear the lyrics to, say, the song "King." Due to the incredible silliness of these lyrics, I will not repost them here as I fear it may ruin the listening experience for those who were under the misguided impression that Satyr's lyrics are anywhere near as well-written as his melodies. Anyway, future note to Satyr: you are much more bad*ss when I can't understand a thing you are saying. Hence, please sing in Norweigian from now on.

That, however, is about my only gripe with this album. The music is more solid than a diamond, with the wonderful cutting guitars Satyr plays with incredible stability; Frost has trimmed off the fat (i.e. the double-bass drubbing he unleashed on us in previous albums) but none of the atittude, and what he plays is not only a welcome departure from the hackneyed blast beats (over)used in pretty much all metal these days, but also fits the music seamlessly. The riffs are punch-you-in-the-gut and grab-you-by-the-throat catchy. It makes me so angry I am in Japan and will most likely not be able to see them on tour, because I find myself headbanging in my living room as it is. I can't imagine how intense it would be to hear this music live.

Anyway, if you are thinking of picking up "Now, Diabolical" wiht the expectation of black metal, then you are going to be disappointed. If you are looking for a great, heavy-hitting, and very original album, played like only Satyricon can play, then you've come to the right place. I recommend this album without reservation of any kind (except, of course, the fact that you should try to forget English before you listen!).

Satyricon is awesome. this is the first time that I have heard them when they returned to Century Media. they, along with many other black and death metal bands, prove that you don't have to have blast beats to kick butt. maybe I should go to their back catalog and get their other albums. they totally rock!

Its clear that Satyr can write one hell of a catchy rock song. Fuel For Hatred was proof enough. The problem is I don't listen to Satyricon because I want to hear a catchy rock song. Volcano seemed to me the perfect mix of rock and Black Metal - enough groove to shake your booty, but enough strait-hate to thrash to. Now Diabolical just seems to peter out about halfway through. There are a number of great moments on ND but it seems that the album doesnt hold together. A couple of fantastic singles, and then a few damn good ideas. An awesome groove with no real follow through, a great set of lyrics with no riff or music... stuff like that. I just kind of drift in and out as the album plays. So, while Satyr is clearly not washed up, he needs to realize that Satyricon should not ever, ever be a singles band.