Rebel Extravaganza... It's not simply a set of words, but a title of an album of one of the best groups, in my opinion, in a pantheon of Black Arts - SATYRICON. What does the album's title speak about? You can much think on this theme, but as for me the very first association which appears at a word "revolt" is a MISANTHROPY! Yes, a misanthropy! Nothing is embodied in music SATYRICON such as a misanthropy, hatred to mankind in a word, and the given album is that acknowledgement to us! Rebel Extravaganza was published on October, 19th, 1999... What do we hear, playing this album in a player? It's naive question enough, but, however, group development is evident at once, especially in such variant! I shall a little explain: a very dense and rigid sound which directly bites into the eardrums, the Satyr's vocal which has little bit exchanged on stylistics passed in places through some "processings" and bearing a little bit industrial character, - it became more caustic and venomous... Guitars... As already was told, are very dense and rigid, sounding is a little bit "thinnish", tasty... Drums... Here all is made and thought over to trifles - they are faultless. Frost's talent is available! To tell the truth, nowhere I did not hear similar execution yet: so all technique, so excellently played... Lyrics... It is significant enough and it is difficult to catch from the first time about what has written here Satyr, but upon their multicomplexity is well worth to ponder to understand semantic "loading" of an album! A decadence... Chaos... Aggression... Revolt... Extravagance... Misanthropy... Rage... All it is expressed both in texts and in the music, created by unusual Satyr's talent! I think, it will be senseless to allocate some tracks from an album though they are all noteworthy, both in the lyric poet and in music...

This work differs very much from the previous creations of group. Here you will not find epic of Dark Medieval Times album and athmosphere of Nemesis Divina album - modern SATYRICON is not so such! It is cardinally a new mark in group history! The epoch of a medieval fantasy has ended in group - present times has come! SATYRICON has changed, has developed and has poured out in very rigid and uncompromising form of aggression! It is traced in all - not only in music and texts, but even in image of group which we can observe on an album cover! Well, this is present SATYRICON, this is present Black Metal in their persons! I want to quote Satyr's word concerning all of that: "In the past we simply wished to remain true to traditions of a genre, having kept its cleanliness and originality. Now my purpose is to make something new, having moved apart Black Metal frameworks as a style. I wish to make something remembered which will be obvious progress in Black Metal as musically as visually." Well, progress is available! The guys have tried excellently!

Rebel Extravaganza is an album of the future, an album destroying foundations of the present...

Written by:
Alvar