SATYRICON "Dark Medieval Times" Vinyl 2xLP (double LP gatefold)

Import from Germany. BLACK Vinyl in Gatefold Cover 2-LP.

When it comes to pivotal moments in the evolution of heavy music, the Norwegian black metal scene of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s takes some beating for sheer audacity and contrarian verve. Most importantly, many of the records released during those tumultuous formative years have become established and undisputed classics in metal’s illustrious canon, and Satyricon’s extraordinary early works must surely rank among the most revered of all.

The first Satyricon album, Dark Medieval Times, was released in the autumn of 1993, through the young band’s own Moonfog Productions imprint. Recorded earlier that year, it was both instantly recognisable as the product of the thriving Norwegian scene and as something wholly distinctive within that superficially restrictive musical framework. Even more remarkable was the fact that the entire record had been written and performed (with the exception of drums) by a then 17-year-old Sigurd ‘Satyr’ Wongraven: clearly a prodigious talent with an abundance of epic and perverse ideas rattling around in his head.

Of course, within less than 18 months, Satyr’s vision had surged forward once more, as his band delivered yet another seminal and definitive masterwork, Nemesis Divina. But you can hear the roots of all the grim majesty that followed in the stirring, turbulent depths of these two inspirational masterpieces from the band’s arcane past. A monument to artistic militance and liberated creativity, Dark Medieval Times and The Shadowthrone are where this grand legacy began.