Metal Underground.com

I’m a late bloomer when it regards my personal Satyricon fandom. I just started listening to them during the past 10 years or so; that makes me late to the party and I don’t care, you can take my CVLT badge away from me. My Satyricon baptism started with “Now, Diabolical” about ten years after its release, and it only took that album for me to be hooked on their unique black metal spin. Satyricon recently released a 20th anniversary edition of “Rebel Extravaganza” that has been fully remastered. Still labeling myself a Satyricon newbie on the whole, I have the pleasure of listening to this album with virgin ears and can review it as such being a new release. My CVLT badge burns…

I’m usually a fan of remasters. Technology advancements within the recording and mastering industry has brought new life to so many albums I cherish. When it comes to “Rebel Extravaganza,” I really doubt that I’ll ever get around to listening to the original production album that was initially released in 1999. There’s no point, unless I want to compare how crappy the sound of the mix sizes up to the remastered version.

I would have to say that my favorite song on “Rebel Extravaganza” is probably the first track on the album, “Tied in Bronze Chains.” The “True Norwegian Black Metal” feel is prominent on this track and that should make the blackened souls of CVLT types, well, blacker… Frost, one of the most influential black metal drummers within the genre, puts on a clinic of tempo changes throughout the ten-minute plus anthem.

Satyr’s ability to fill out every other instrument on the track is nothing short of astounding. Another noteworthy track on the album would have to be “Prime Evil Renaissance.” It has a very Satyricon feel to it along with some dissonance that seems to prevail throughout the whole album. If Voivod made a black metal album with Satyr on vocals, it just might sound like “Rebel Extravaganza.”

All things considered; I enjoyed this album upon my first spin of it. “Rebel Extravaganza” was initially released during an era where nu-metal was all the rage, and those bands that faithfully stuck to their convictions were just keeping their collective heads above water in an existential sense. “Rebel Extravaganza” is worth your attention if you’re are a heavy music fan. If you were already familiar with the album, well, you can now soak up the newfound sonic sweetness via a nice pair of headphones.