Still Diabolical: Satyricon at Jaxx

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THE FIRST TIME I saw Satyricon play was in Aug. 2005. The Norwegian band commanded the main stage at the outdoor Oya festival, held annually in August in Satyricon's hometown of Oslo. The group played opposite Annie, creating a whiplash effect for those of us equally interested in black-metal mayhem and disco-pop cuties.

But it only took a handful of Satyricon songs to convince me that Annie is best heard in a club and black metal is best heard live and loud — even in the middle of the day. (Check some photos from that performance here.)

The second time I saw Satyricon was on Feb. 26, 2009, when it opened for Cradle of Filth in Baltimore, and things had changed significantly for the band.

Singer-songwriter Satyr and drummer Frost are the mainstays, but Satyricon's touring lineup was entirely new. The band's sound had also evolved with its last two albums — "Now, Diabolical" (2006) and "The Age of Nero" (2008) — from atmospheric black metal into a pelvis-pumping rock 'n' roll machine.

Satyricon's 40-minute opening-act set at Ram's Head Live was but a teaser; it wasn't until the group closed out its U.S. tour on March 1 with a headlining show at Jaxx in Springfield, Va., that listeners could fully appreciate the band's transformation.

In Oslo, I don't remember a then long-haired Satyr saying a word to the audience — and frankly, he didn't have to because Satyricon is a huge success in Norway and has a large following throughout Europe and the Nordic countries. So, there was no particular need for Satyr to go out of his way to engage a crowd that already worshiped Satyricon.

But at the two U.S. shows I witnessed displayed two distinct things about present-day Satyricon. First, the band now really focuses on displaying its refined sound, which is distinctly more palatable to general hard rock fans, even though it's still steeped in the original gothic spirit of black metal. The second, Satyr and Frost are dead set on breaking into the U.S. market.

Behind the scenes, Frost is like a one-man street team, meeting and greeting fans who rightfully worship his amazing drum skills. But on stage, it's all Satyr.

The sheared and slicked singer — who now looks like the late '80s version of Sisters of Mercy frontman Andrew Eldritch — has turned into a regular chatty Kathy. In addition to introducing many of the songs by name and thanking the audience for their spirited reception, Satyr encouraged sing-alongs ("I'll count to four"), thrust his fist and started "Hey" chants numerous times, did the "I can't hear you, Springfield!" routine, and clapped heartily for the audience at the end of Satyricon's 100-minute set. There were even a pair of very healthy panties — or perhaps it was a corset? — tossed on stage.

Some people might not appreciate Satyr's rock-star moves, but I do. Satyricon's music was already good, but now it has a precision-tuned stage show to go with it. I still love the blast-beat intensity and seething rage of more traditional black metal acts like 1349 and Watain, but neither of them says much of anything between songs, and if they do it's done so in an evil whispered bray — which is the complete opposite of Satyr's strong enunciation, perfect diction, and pep-rally spirit.

Satyricon's Jaxx concert was the final proof for me that the group has moved on from the frequently insular world of "True Norwegian Black Metal" and has become a worldly rock band — a really great one, too.

» Click here to see a gallery of the rest of our photos from the Satyricon concert.

» Click here to see photos of 1349, who opened for Satyricon

» Click here to read our feature on Satyricon.

» Click here to read our Q&A with Satyricon drummer Frost.

Photos by Christopher Porter/Express