«Deep Calleth upon Deep» is the ninth album by Satyricon, released on September 22, 2017 via Napalm Records. A record that finds the band on its surest ground in over a decade, with a more melodic and accessible approach without losing its blackened glory.
Country: Norway
Genre: Black Metal
For fans of: Satyricon (2013), Enslaved, Borknagar
The listen
The album opens with «Midnight Serpent», a rock outburst in the wake of «Now, Diabolical», and continues with a series of songs that speak the language of duality: catchy melodic guitar lines clash with walls of dissonant power chords, like an ongoing conversation with death. The sullen «To Your Brethren in the Dark» leans toward pessimism, while the title track steals the show with a chorus that sticks and simple, flowing riff progressions.
«Deep Calleth upon Deep» is defined by the identity of each song separately, yet they mesh seamlessly at LP level. «Black Wings and Withering Gloom», the record’s most traditional blackened track, has some of its best riffs but stretches too long, while the closer «Burial Rite» stays a bit basic next to the rest.
The minimal approach — more single-string picking than walls of power chords — lets the band’s experimental tendencies shine, with otherworldly screams and clever use of winds and strings underscoring the mystical atmosphere. The bass stays a bit on the edge of the mix, but the whole is balanced.
«Deep Calleth upon Deep» is Satyricon’s most accessible record to date, without sacrificing their blackness or their progressive tendencies — and with the lyrical video of the title track tying it all together.
See also
Satyricon – Nemesis Divina · Satyricon – Satyricon & Munch
