Describing their fifth studio album, 2002's "Volcano", frontman Satyr stated in a press release and biography on their homepage that "the music is rock based but more extreme; it is black metal pushing the boundaries that began with bands like Venom and Bathory. Reinventing ourselves based on a foundation of rock-oriented black metal is our philosophy." Mühlmann wrote that Satyricon's path after their zenith reached with their second and third album has only a limited connection to black metal, whereas "Metal Hammer" journalist Robert Müller described Satyr as a "latently arrogant guy who, along the way, makes great music that constantly tests the borders of the genre".