Nemesis Divina

Soon to piss off pretty much everyone with their 1999 industrial detour Rebel Extravaganza, Satyricon capped off their initial flirtation with black metal orthodoxy with their most ambitious (and best-produced) album to date. The core duo of Satyr and Frost actually planted the seeds of their future betrayal here, incorporating groove elements they’d explore more in the following millennium. In the meantime, “The Dawn of a New Age” and “Mother North” show their mastery of the second wave’s grandeur.