Satyricon are a Norwegian black metal band, formed in 1990 in Oslo. The band currently consist of core long-term members Satyr and Frost. Satyricon were the first black metal band to join a multi-national record label (EMI). The band were formed in 1990 as Eczema by the bassist Wargod and drummer Exhurtum. In 1991, they decided to start playing black metal, so the name was changed to Satyricon. Satyr (Sigurd Wongraven) then joined the band. Afte ... r the first demo All Evil, Exhurtum was kicked out of the band because he "preferred hanging out with my girl at the time rather than kicking down gravestones together with the band", while Wargod left the music scene and became a UN soldier afterwards. Lemarchand was kicked out after the second demo. Remaining members Satyr and Lemarchand hired the drummer Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) as a session musician and recorded their second and last demo, The Forest Is My Throne. Shortly after this, Lemarchand also left the band. But before leaving the band he recorded guitars (uncredited on the booklet) for the first full-length album, Dark Medieval Times. In the meantime, Frost was being "promoted" as a permanent member and had recorded drums for the aforementioned album. Satyricon have—with two exceptions—been a two-man band ever since: from 1993–1996, Tomas Thormodsæter 'Samoth' Haugen from Emperor was the bassist and guitarist of Satyricon, and participated in the recording of their second album, The Shadowthrone; and later in 1996, Darkthrone member Nocturno Culto (Ted Skjellum, known as "Kveldulv" during Satyricon's period) became guitarist on the third full-length Satyricon album, Nemesis Divina. Rebel Extravaganza, Satyricon’s fourth album, was released in 1999. In April and May 2000, Satyricon toured as a supporting band for Pantera. Phil Anselmo has spoken of his love for black metal numerous times, and has participated in Eibon with Satyricon frontman Satyr. They used to be signed with Daron Malakian's music label EatUrMusic. Their fifth studio album Volcano was released in 2002 and won four awards: the Norwegian Grammy for Best Metal Album, an Alarm award for the track "Fuel for Hatred" in the category Song of the Year, the Alarm Award for Metal Album of the Year and The Oslo award for Best Overall Album. Satyricon participated in the Darkthrone tribute Darkthrone Holy Darkthrone, released by Moonfog Productions in 1998, covering the song "Kathaarian Life Code". In the same year, Satyricon participated in the Bathory tribute In Conspiracy with Satan, released by Hellspawn/No Fashion Records, featuring the song "Born for Burning" originally released on Crusade from the North in 1996. In 2006, Satyricon released Now, Diabolical. In March 2008, the band headlined the Inferno Metal Festival in Oslo for the first time. The EP My Skin Is Cold was released before their seventh album, The Age of Nero, which was released on 3 November 2008. The band's first album, 1993's Dark Medieval Times, showed off the fascination Satyricon had with the Middle Ages and featured raw black metal blast beats produced by Frost, mixed with acoustic guitar and flute. On their next album, The Shadowthrone, this medieval spirit was continued. Rock Hard journalist Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann wrote that Satyricon reached their "very early zenith" with that album and Nemesis Divina. Describing their fifth studio album, 2002's Volcano, frontman Satyr stated in a press release and biography on their homepage that "the music is rock based but more extreme; it is black metal pushing the boundaries that began with bands like Venom and Bathory. Reinventing ourselves based on a foundation of rock-oriented black metal is our philosophy."[ Mühlmann wrote that Satyricon's path after their zenith reached with their second and third album has only a limited connection to black metal, whereas Metal Hammer journalist Robert Müller described Satyr as a "latently arrogant guy who, along the way, makes great music that constantly tests the borders of the genre". His colleague Gunnar Sauermann, on the other hand, considers Satyricon "a pseudo-black pop (and popular) band these days". In their report from the Eindhoven Metal Meeting, he and Thomas Sonder wrote that they "almost play[ed] hard rock" at the beginning of their show. Current members (2013): Satyr (Sigurd Wongraven) – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar (1991–present) Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) – drums (1993–present) Current live members (2013): Steinar Gundersen (also known as "Azarak") – lead guitar (1999–present) Gildas Le Pape – rhythm guitar (2008–present) Anders Odden – bass guitar (2009–present) Jonna Nikula – keyboards (2003–present) Former members: Wargod (Vegard) – bass guitar (1991–1992) Exhurtum (Carl-Michael Eide) – drums (1991–1992) Lemarchand (Håvard Jørgensen) – guitar (1991–1993), bass guitar (1993) Samoth (Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen) – bass guitar, guitar (1993–1996) Kveldulv (Ted Skjellum; also known as Nocturno Culto) – guitar (1996–1997) Vegard Blomberg - effects (1999) (not to be confused with Wargod) See more [+]
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