50 Best Hard Rock & Heavy Metal Albums Of 2017

In a year that’s been packed as fully as possible with state-of-the-art black metal, the Norwegian masters Satyricon still found a way to stick out from the pack.

Instead of going out of its way to be as extreme and petulant as possible, the band’s ninth full-length sees the duo of Frost and Satyr continue to go backwards to go forwards, mixing the usual black metal formula with many a trope from more melodic, classic rock n’ roll. And, as a result, Deep calleth upon Deep is a bizarrely anthem-laden slice of doomy yet catchy aggression, its simple choruses and riffs juxtaposed by despondent growls and gothic lyricism.

The simplicity of such gloriously evil cuts as “Deep calleth upon Deep” and “The Ghost of Rome” – both of which add to their unsettling aura with a ghostly backing singer – is rivalled by the complexity of such titles as “Black wings and withering gloom” and the slow-paced creeper “To your brethren in the dark”. However, all eight tracks on this 44-minute rollercoaster through blackened brilliance ring true of their extreme metal roots thanks to the punishing drums and equally hard-hitting rhythm guitars, while the leads at times replicate the riffs of AC/DC, and at others aim closer to In Flames or Dark Tranquillity.

Deep calleth upon Deep is relentlessly charismatic, somehow crafting a black metal record that feels fun to experience, while also maintaining the omnipresent, underlying danger of the impossibly evil subgenre from whence it emanated.