SATYRICON

w/ Aeon of Horus

Billboards – Melbourne, 22nd March, 2009.

***Click here for more photos***

The night had come, the rain was falling. The crowd had gathered and the bells began to chime. The crowd roared. Then everyone realised it was AC/DC playing, not the Norwegian black metal band we were all there to see.

“When I’m in Australia, I always like to listen to AC/DC before I go on stage. Like when I’m in Germany I like to listen to Scorpions” – Satyr

The official and proper introduction for Satyricon’s set did eventuate, and with it the 5 member live version of the normally 2-piece band made up of guitarist/vocalist Satyr, and drummer Frost entering the stage to a rapturous applause.

Complete with corpse paint and habitual black metal poses, the bands set consisted of a good portion of their last two albums, along with enough of their back catalogue to keep long time fans happy with their $55 ticket purchase. I went into the gig honestly not expecting to enjoy it all that much, and after my night started with a faulty car and the RACV thus causing me to miss support band Aeon of Horus, I was even more pessimistic.

However to my delight and against my pessimism, the rock infused songs such as ‘Now, Diabolical’, ‘K.I.N.G.’, and ‘Black Crow on a Tombstone’ made for great live entertainment, with the whole crowd seeming to move as one with the drumbeat. And while the older songs played on the night may be technically better in terms of song writing and musical influence; they just didn’t quite come off as good as the aforementioned. That said, the much loved song Mother North was a major high point for many a fan.

There were a couple of other highlights through the course of the night. One of these, with a bit of back story relating to an eleventh hour cancelled Auckland show was a short but succinct tirade about Air New Zealand and their inadequate luggage accountability. Another highlight: the stage lighting. With minimal use of red lighting and a well designed lighting plan meant our photographers shots came out looking fantastic. Also of note was the token female keyboardist, and I’m not talking about her buxom corpse paint looks, but rather the fact that she did nothing but seemingly choreograph the night’s onstage headbanging proceedings. Are there even keyboards in Satyricon’s music?

Satyricon have had much influence over many black metal bands with their music, and even though they may have turned towards a more commercial pop/black metal sound, their live show is still rather enjoyable.

SATYRICON SETLIST: Sunday 22nd March, 2009
(Roughly ordered)

Repined Bastard Nation
Fuel For Hatred
Filthgrinder
Black Crow on a Tombstone
Possessed
Now, Diabolical
Commando
Die By My Hand
To The Mountains
K.I.N.G
——————–
The Pentagram Burns
The Wolfpack
Mother North

Review by Brendan Amos
Photos by Anwar Risk

Thanks to Scorpion Entertainment for the passes.
Apologies to Aeon of Horus for missing their set!