Review by Alex Grindor on February 13, 2024.

It has been years, many many years since I stopped listening to goregrind and its less interesting variants. Many bands of the genre rely on a less-than-spectacular formula of just making mediocre, yet enjoyable songs that bring to mind an out-of-control party, rather than the disgusting pathologies the style was once known for (look no further than Gutalax, and compare them to any band that is actually brutal). So it was a bit of a surprise to listen to Septage, a band from Denmark who are soon to release their debut album through the legendary Me Saco Un Ojo Records; Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree Of Infesting Forms), a reminder of how goregrind is supposed to be done.

It wastes no time in presenting itself, with pummeling drums, low-tuned riffs and gurgled vocals. It never stops its frenzy, but merely calms down for brief periods only to erupt once again. Personally, it brought to mind memories of Lymphatic Phlegm, a brazilian band who had a marked style of their own. Septage seems to have taken a note or two from this band, but never to the extent of being a rip-off. It incorporates a good amount of technicality and even guitar solos that just enhance the overall beast that the album is. Even the bass guitar is accentuated and shows off at specific moments of the record (especially at the end). The vocals are well performed as well, with some deep growls and disgusting pitch-shifted gurgles that properly honor the band's namesake, in case the repulsive cover art wasn't enough to convey the band's style.

Production-wise, there's hardly anything to note. Everything is in its proper place, no instrument overshadows the other and their balance is excellent. The songs themselves have no issues. Their length is very standard for the style (barely a track near the 3-minute mark), with some lasting barely seconds. Beyond this, there's nothing worth mentioning that hinders the album, not even the overtly-long song titles. For a debut recording, it is well-executed.

Septage's debut knows exactly what it is and what it wants to achieve. A proper homage to the goregrind of yore, with a strong seasoning of death metal and technical
prowess that shows how the style is meant to be done. Pitch-shifted vocals may not be my cup of tea, but for this style is an unwritten rule and Septage does not abuse of them. My only gripe with this otherwise excellent album would be that it is too short. Again, part of the genre's unwritten rules but I actually enjoyed it a lot and was a bit put down by the short duration. This gripe aside, Septic Worship is a great album that fans of extreme metal should listen to. If you enjoy early Carcass, Lymphatic Phlegm and similar bands, then this is a must for you.

To be released on March 29th by Me Saco Un Ojo Records (Vinyl), in collaboration with Dark Descent (CD) and Extremely Rotten (tape).

Rating: 9.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on November 14, 2021.

Satyricon is a prime example for all the things that went wrong in the once leading country of the second wave of black metal. Actually blessed with a great compositional talent, Satyr and his drum slave left the path of the devilish sounds one day. Now, Diabolical had already been an ambivalent record. Unfortunately, The Age Of Nero was not able to bring the duo back on track. This is a pity, because songs like 'The Wolfpack' with its Darkthrone-like droning guitars or the pretty dynamic and comparatively vehement 'Black Crow On A Tombstone' show the potential of the guys. But the latter with its catchy chorus also cannot hide the vision of Satyr. He wanted his music to be a bit heavy, a bit black and – last but not least – a bit commercial. And so he sacrificed the rage, the misanthropy and the despair of real black metal one more time on the altar of greed. Even a relatively angry song like 'Die By My Hands' could not be finished without some pretty lame parts.

But don’t get me wrong, the tempo shifts are not the main problem here. Black metal is flexible enough to fascinate us in many different velocities. That’s probably exactly the problem of The Age Of Nero. It wants to be black metal, but it lacks spirituality, attitude and authenticity. I never have the feeling to listen to a black metal album, it’s something like metallic dark rock or whatever. Among other things it is because of the vocals. When did Satyr’s voice lose its charisma? His monotonous speech without any variations triggers absolutely nothing in me. Aggravating the situation, the guitars lack devastating heaviness – they rather sound like someone walking with rubber boots over plastic waste. Thus, the music is not able to spread an encompassing sinister aura, although some guitar lines point in the right direction. Yet there are also melodies that do not serve their purpose. 'The Sign Of The Trident' holds some repetitive parts that intend to create a hypnotic effect, but they are simply too weak.

Moreover, the longer this song lasts the more it gets obvious that the band runs out of ideas. The second half of the album does not add many (or any?) new aspects to the release. I thought it could be a good idea to ask the songs “what are you doing here?”, but they just answered “we beg your pardon, we also don’t know”. Honestly speaking, this was not very satisfying – for both sides. And that’s all I can say about a release that could have been much, much better, because trace elements of Satyr’s undisputed talent are still identifiable. But The Age Of Nero is just a complacent underperformer. It has zero integrity, zero personality and zero “Du som hater Gud”. Considering the skills and the merits of Satyr, it’s nothing but the "The Age of Zero”.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10