Review by Dagon M.
After 8 whole years since their last appearance in Greece, Friday, September 18th marked the return of Satyricon in our country. The gig was scheduled at FLOYD venue, one of the bigger indoor concert places in Athens and as a result, I was pleasantly surprised when it was announced that the concert was sold out! Satyricon are just the 2nd Black Metal band that managed to sell out this venue, after Emperor, meaning that their status in Black Metal is undeniable.
While there was no support band in this concert, the 2 hours of waiting after the doors opened seemed to go by seamlessly and just before 22:00, when the band was set to take the stage, the whole place was packed with people. Satyricon opened with “Midnight Serpent” which is a fan favorite and the energy of the crowd was evident from the very beginning.Τhe band’s performance was outstanding with Frost leading the sonic assault from the drums and Satyr controlling the whole atmosphere. The main part of the setlist consisted of most of their best later-era songs such as “The Wolfpack”, “Black Crow on a Tombstone”, “Now Diabolical” and “The Pentagram Burns”. Also, “Forhekset” from their all-time classic album “Nemesis Divina” was one of the highlights of the night.
The band chose to surround those songs with some slower tempo and more atmospheric pieces such as “To Your Brethren in the Dark” and “To The Mountains,” of which I wasn’t a big fan in a live setting. However, like in the story Satyr shared with us, two fans had approached him, with one of them urging him to exclude “To The Mountains” and the other really liking the song; it is important that artists remain true to themselves and present what really expresses them. Another highlight of the night was a conversation with Euronymous that Satyr recalled, regarding his vision of Black Metal, that every band should be unique and have an identity instead of just playing well. These moments are important to keep the spirit of the scene alive and inspire the newer generation.
The latter part of the setlist was my personal favorite, as they decided to play my favorite Satyricon song, “Hvite Krists død”, invoking the cold and grim atmosphere of “Shadowthrone”. Their second-to-last song, “Mother North,” had the whole crowd chanting the melody in unison to create a haunting atmosphere, with the band closing their performance with “K.I.N.G”. All in all, it was a really great performance, combining elements from different eras of the band and a great interaction with the crowd. Satyricon stands tall in the legacy they have created and every chance to see them live while they are still around shouldn’t be missed.
Explore further: