Satyricon released «Satyricon & Munch» on June 10, 2022 via Napalm Records — a single 56-minute piece, written for the Edvard Munch exhibition hosted at the museum of the same name in Oslo. The project began in late 2018 and took three and a half years to complete.
Country: Norway
Genre: Black Metal / Dark Ambient
The idea
The connection between Satyricon and Munch is no coincidence. The Norwegian painter is regarded as one of the leading exponents of expressionism, with works such as «The Scream», «Vampire», «Anxiety» and «The Kiss of Death» capturing the dark side of human nature — the same emotions that have fueled black metal since its birth. Norwegian art explored darkness long before the most extreme genre of metal was born, and here the two meet naturally.
In the exhibition, the paintings and lithographs work like lyrics telling a constantly changing story. There is no matching between a musical passage and a specific work — the visitor composes their own combinations as they wander the space. Music and image reinforce each other on an emotional level.
The sound
Beyond the guitars, bass and percussion that have always characterized Satyricon, here cello, viola, bass clarinet, piano, theremin and analog synths come into play, giving thickness and texture to the composition. The hardanger fiddle and the jouhikko, traditional instruments of Norway and Finland respectively, also feature. The group’s distinctive ability to convey the feeling of anxiety and alienation through a simple melody is here more present than ever, in a dark ambient environment.
«Satyricon & Munch» is an emotional journey that works even outside the context of the exhibition, thanks to its intense atmospheric power. A step forward for the band, on many levels.
Lineup
Satyr – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
Frost – drums
See also
Satyricon return to Athens for a night of pure black metal · SIGH – Goh-ka
