Satyricon - Nemesis Divina
1997 Century Media

Track Listing:
1.  The Conquering, part I:  The Dawn Of A New Age
2.  The Conquering, part II:  Forhekset
3.  The Conquering, part III:  Mother North
4.  The Conquering, part IV:  Du Som Hater Gud
5.  The Conquering, part V:  Immortality Passion
6.  The Conquering, part VI:  Nemesis Divina
7.  The Conquering, part VII:  Transcendental Requiem Of Slave

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Satyr
Guitar:  Kvelduv (aka Nocturno Culto), Satyr
Bass:  Satyr
Drums:  Frost
Session Synth/Piano:  Bratland
Session Spoken Word:  Nebelhexe

Website:  www.satyricon.no

Shev's Rating:  A
Average Rating:  A

Also be sure to read:
1349 - Beyond The Apocalypse (Frost) by Shev
1349 - Hellfire (Frost) by Shev

Shev's Review:
Nemesis Divina, the last of the great Satyricon albums, covers new ground.  Very little keyboards can be found on this release, giving it a much more raw edge and earlier black metal feel compared to Satyricon's previous two releases.  Maybe this has something to do with the addition of Nocturno Culto, who has given himself the name of Kvelduv.  With him in the line-up, Nemesis Divina has a very strong Darkthrone flavor, but Satyr's talented use of melody and song writing ability goes untouched.

Surprisingly, the production on Nemesis Divina is very well done.  With such an aggressive black metal release, one would only expect unholy lo-fi quality.  The production is not perfect, however, as the bass guitar is a mushy mess for 98% of the album while some of the drumming and most of the cymbals are put way out in front.  It doesn't detract very much from this release, though, which I consider one of the very best black metal albums to date.  Even if you need something to satisfy your occasional thirst for quality aggressive black metal complete with sword-swinging cheesy goodness, Nemesis Divina belongs in your library.

Song summaries include...

1. The Conquering, part I:  The Dawn Of A New Age - Typical black metal intro, but turns extremely intense.  Could do without the sound effects and it ends a bit abruptly, but it should hardly be considered a blemish.  B+
2. The Conquering, part II:  Forhekset - A little dry compared to The Dawn Of A New Age, but interesting enough and has some nice explosive breaks and subtle keyboard parts.  B-
3. The Conquering, part III:  Mother North - Awesome tempo changes and vicious drumming.  One of the best black metal songs ever recorded.  A+
4. The Conquering, part IV:  Du Som Hater Gud - Nothing groundbreaking and the repetition kind of kills it.  Nice use of piano at the end.  C-
5. The Conquering, part V:  Immortality Passion - Sick, dark overtones and moody without over-doing it.  Sharp guitars and the drumming is top shelf.  Highly memorable song.  A
6. The Conquering, part VI:  Nemesis Divina - Immortality Passion is a tough act to follow, but not bad by any means.  Almost as intense as The Dawn Of A New Age, but has a useless slow fade at the end.  B-
7. The Conquering, part VII:  Transcendental Requiem Of Slaves - Very cool structures, but basically one big glorified outro.  C

Shev's Rating:  A

Discography (last updated 11.8.05):
All Evil demo - 1992
Dark Medieval Times - 1993
The Forest Is My Throne demo - 1993
The Shadowthrone - 1994
The Forest Is My Throne/Yggdrasil split CD with Enslaved - 1995
Nemesis Divina - 1996
Megiddo EP - 1997
Picture Disc Box Set - 1998
Intermezzo II EP - 1999
Rebel Extravaganza - 1999
Ten Horns - Ten Diadems - 2002
Volcano - 2002