After two years and Now, Diabolical, the Norwegian Black metalers SATYRICON rise again through The Age Of Nero. This new release features eight powerful songs, having Satyr as well as Joe Baresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) in charge of the production process. For those who are aware of ancient Roman history, don't get carried away and think that this album will be about the Roman emperor and his dynasty. The album's title is mainly symbolic and fits perfectly the concept of the band's name.
The Age Of Nero is a very solid work, significantly more sinister and dark comparing to their previous release, showing that Satyr and Frost are at their best. Brutal riffs accompanied with macabre vocals performing together to create a simple and direct black metal sound. SATYRICON are not from the bands that might occasionally 'warm up' their sound with melodic elements through the excessive use of keyboards, the band simply wants to and surely can deliver pure black metal.
Of course, some of the early releases of SATYRICON like Nemesis Divina or Rebel Extravaganza were and still remain among their highlights, but The Age Of Nero seems able to follow their path. Some of the songs that I have pointed out here are the first and extreme track Commando, the very strong Black Crow On A Tombstone and  The Wolfpack, not forgetting some more thinking and longer tracks like e.g. The Sign Of The Trident.
With eight songs filled with Black Metal music in its more mature form, yet still aggressive and dark, SATYRICON through The Age Of Nero has managed to prove themselves once again and draw the attention of the Black Metal fans.