Nemesis Divina
| Nemesis Divina | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 22, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1996 | |||
| Studio | Waterfall Studios | |||
| Genre | Black metal | |||
| Length | 42:45 | |||
| Label | Moonfog, Century Media | |||
| Producer | Satyr | |||
| Satyricon chronology | ||||
| ||||
Nemesis Divina (Latin for 'divine nemesis') is the third studio album by Norwegian black metal band Satyricon. It was released on 22 April 1996, through Moonfog Productions.
The band have described the album as "darker" and "more aggressive" than their previous work.[1]
A fully remastered edition was released in May 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary of the album.
Album art
The album cover artwork for Nemesis Divina, designed by Halvor Bodin and Stein Løken,[2] has been considered fairly revolutionary by the standards of black metal at the time. The band commented, "The standard, back then, was dodgy amateur photos and miserable looking fonts".[1] Decibel magazine commented that the cover "resembled more a piece out of Dave McKean's workshop than art Xeroxed at dad's office [...] Rich with color and symbolism, the high-end design broke seriously sacred ground".[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Sputnikmusic | [4] |
Nemesis Divina is generally considered a classic of the black metal genre. AllMusic wrote, "this sweeping epic work is quintessential black metal".[3] Terrorizer wrote that on Nemesis Divina, "[Satyricon] experienced a near-magical improvement. Songs like leadoff monster 'The Dawn of a New Age', centerpiece 'Mother North' and the title track were stronger than any song in Satyricon's past. Satyr's ever-impressive riff-making/songwriting skills displayed a maturity not found outside, say, fellow sophisticates Emperor".[2]
A music video was released for "Mother North", which was generally uncommon within the black metal scene at the time. The video opens with "Montagues and Capulets". The video briefly appeared in the mainstream film Spun.
In 2009, IGN included Nemesis Divina in their "10 Great Black Metal Albums" list.[5] Decibel magazine inducted Nemesis Divina into the publication's "hall of fame".[2]
Track listing
All songs written by Satyr, except "Du som hater Gud", written by Satyr & Fenriz
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Dawn of a New Age" | 7:28 |
| 2. | "Forhekset" ("Bewitched") | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Mother North" | 6:26 |
| 4. | "Du som hater Gud" ("You Who Hate God") | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Immortality Passion" | 8:23 |
| 6. | "Nemesis Divina" | 6:55 |
| 7. | "Transcendental Requiem of Slaves" | 4:44 |
| Total length: | 42:45 | |
Personnel
- Satyricon
- Satyr (Sigurd Wongraven) – vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, sleeve design and logo
- Kveldulv (Ted Skjellum; also known as Nocturno Culto) – rhythm guitar
- Frost (Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad) – drums, album logo
- Session musicians
- Gerlioz (Geir Bratland) – synthesizer, grand piano
- Nebelhexë (Andrea Haugen) – spoken part on "The Dawn of a New Age"
- Production
- Union of Lost Souls – sleeve design
- Per Heimly Productions – sleeve photography
- Anne Cecilie – makeup for sleeve photos
- Union of Lost Souls – album logo
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] | 57 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] | 107 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] | 71 |
References
- ^ a b Satyricon. "Satyricon". satyricon.no. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Satyricon "Nemesis Divina" | Decibel Magazine". decibelmagazine.com. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ a b Kantor, Matt. "Nemesis Divina - Satyricon: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ^ Iluvatar. "Satyricon - Nemesis Divina". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 2019-10-14.
- ^ Ramirez, Carlos (6 January 2009). "10 Great Black Metal Albums – IGN". ign.com. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Satyricon – Nemesis Divina" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Satyricon – Nemesis Divina" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Satyricon – Nemesis Divina" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
External links
- Nemesis Divina at Discogs (list of releases)
