review by: Roberto Martinelli

So it seems that Satyricon have become rock stars overnight. I guess we should have seen it coming. I mean, there was that whole thing about Satyricon endorsing Ferrari. Now they're on a major label, and boy is the CD expensive! (Somebody please explain why a label with oodles of money charges twice as much for an import as a label with no money. Weird.)

Well, regardless of the label, Satyricon has made another excellent album. Comparatively, it's most like the last one, Rebel Extravaganza. The production and riffs are similar. However, Volcano is far less complex in its arrangements - I suppose you could say this new album is more rock than the last ones, and wouldn't that keep well with the whole Satyricon as rock stars theme?

Some will definitely find the few parts on Volcano that sound like Portishead to be so out of pace they border on offensive, but I think they work well. Similar criticism may be directed at song 3, which is pretty upbeat with a happy riff and clap along parts. Pretty funny that the song is called "Fuel for Hatred."

But then there are tracks like "Repined Bastard Nation," which features the best single riff on the disk, and "Mental Mercury," an outstanding song that has the album's most intense emotive power.

As usual, the riffs and drumming are stellar. Satyricon continues to present its signature music that has largely been defined over the past three full-length albums: melodies that scathe, but that have a unique sense of Norse pride to them. And there's that one-of-a-kind guitar tone. Satyr's vocals also sound as good as ever. Satyr's strength has always been coherence and phrasings as interesting as his vocals. While Satyricon is still more black metal than anything else, the tone and sound of the album is relatively less harsh than the past couple records. Rebel Extravaganza remains the best album by this band, but fans will certainly not be disappointed by this new one. You may balk at the price, but it is worth it.