Formed in 1981, Satan were, for a brief period, the hardest and fastest of the NWOBHM bands releasing, in 1983, the magnificent Court in the Act. The promise the band showed back then was off the scale and many a young metal fanatic, myself included, assumed that they would be ‘the next big thing’. However, like so many NWOBHM bands it didn’t work out that way.
The music was a true heavy metal assault upon the senses, and the band’s line-up and career decisions was just as frenetic, and perhaps this is the reason they missed out. After the release of Court in the Act, the band lost their singer, Brian Ross, (he of Blitzkrieg fame) and lost their way a bit, deciding to change their name to Blind Fury which saw their music drift more towards commerciality and the mainstream. The Out of Reach album (1985), didn’t set the world alight and so the singer (Lou Taylor) departed and Satan reformed, issuing their second album Suspended Sentence (1987). This was was heralded as a return to form, but the band had never really won over the UK press and they soon accepted that the media criticisms of their music was all too much and that even the name ‘Satan’ was holding them back. Recruiting yet another singer, Michael Jackson( not that one!), the lads reformed as Pariah, and released one thrash album, The Kindred (1988), and then, realizing that the market had too much thrash, reverted back to their power-metal strengths on Blaze of Obscurity (1989). Despite the latter album selling well, the press became fixated on yet another name change and somehow the music got ignored.
Despite being an outstanding live act, the band fell apart during the recording of a third (uncompleted) album and broke up, with Ramsey and English going on to form the hugely successful Skyclad. Who would have thought?! Then, quite out of the blue, the classic line-up that had recorded Court in the Act reformed in 2011 and have been together ever since. During this time, the band has released four studio albums, with the forthcoming Songs in Crimson being their seventh in all.
So what of the album? Synoptically, the album is loud, fast, and excellently produced. The guitars screech and howl and there are some brilliant solos and a shed-load of riffs, the rhythm section is as tight as you like, and Brian Ross can still sing with power and range. The musicianship is top notch throughout and each song has drive and speed. Here are my notes, taken after my fifth listen:
1: Frantic Zero (4:34) – Guitar riffs everywhere, fast and driving with a sudden tempo change (a bridge of sorts) before a cracking guitar solo, the song hardly repeats itself and there is a great double guitar solo which elevates the track, there are so many tempo changes that the song never stands still, frantic indeed, a great way to start the album.
2: Era (The Day Will Come) (4:40) – Ironically for a song talking about This is the end of an era/The death of an age/You’ll never see the like again, the song has a retro feel to it, busy guitars and drum fills all over the place. Ross is on good form here, but the song never seems to take off, like it’s stuck in fourth gear. The multiple guitar solos help, but I get the feeling that the song is too long.
3: Whore of Babylon (3:58) – A slowish, Queen-like intro gives way to a pounding riff, very NWOBHM, a catchy chorus, but there’s just too much going on here – tempo changes, drum solo passages, then bass solo passages, giving way to guitar solos. Russ Tippins has said of the style of the album: Even though there are more riffs per song, we don’t dwell overly long on any of them, the changes happen pretty quickly … Style-wise … we don’t really play in conventional major or minor keys. There’s always a note in a riff or a lead line that somehow seems ‘wrong’ or unexpected. Those curveballs are planned, and the idea is that the more we do that, the more we’ll come to be defined by it. The problem on this album is that it’s all a bit too busy, and riffs come and go without the listener managing to get a handle on them. This song is an example of that. Great chorus, very well played throughout, but a sense of the song just expanding and expanding without anything tying it together.
4: Sacramental Rites (4:44) – A wonderful intro with tremolo picked guitars, a guitar solo over the top of that, and a building rhythm section which takes us into the main riff. The verse has a great hook and the chorus is a sing-along one. Once again some tremendous guitar work. A very upbeat and driving song – which is at odds with the vocals which are describing someone getting down on their knees to Satan! Definite shades of Mercyful Fate in this one.
5: Martyrdom (3:55) – A great riff to start this one, and one that again builds into the main part of the song, but it drifts a bit in the verses, rescued by the chorus and some great vocal stuff from Ross. More tempo changes, stop and starts, then a guitar solo which kills. The original guitar riff is present throughout and I think overstays its welcome. Not too sure about this one.
6: Turn the Tide (4:06) – Fantastic riff to start the whole thing up and then we are off into a thrashy gallop with some damn fast guitar playing. The song is, I think about a king trying to rally his nation to ‘turn [back] the tide’ of invaders who threaten the kingdom, but it’s all a bit frantic and exhilarating. The song sweeps you along and certainly reminds me of Satan when they were Blind Fury, first album. Great vocals from Ross and the guitars are mega.
7: Captives (3:51) – A fast, upbeat song and one that certainly has much NWOBHM in it. Energetic and driving the song is one of those on the albums that seems more straightforward in its structure and is better for it. Ross in great form, the guitars pretty excellent throughout, and that rhythm section really couldn’t be any tighter. A punchy rocker which, when there are tempo changes, absorbs them since they feel natural and not forced. I think this is excellent.
8: Curse in Disguise (4:46) – Any song that starts with feedback gets my attention and the song then bursts into a very NWOBHM gallop – Maiden-esque to a point, but with a very typical Satan edge. Amazingly, the song, after a quick break, becomes Doomy, with a pounding riff and rhythm. A break launches the song into a thrash-like attack and guitars duel over the top of this section. It may just be me, but the song seems to speed up! Some excellent lead breaks, but with a song this fast it definitely is too long and could have done with editing. Otherwise, very good.
9: Truth Bullet (4:55) – This harkens back to a better time where men were men and everything was a lot simpler. I’m not sure that ever existed, but heigh-ho. The music changes every thirty seconds or so and never really settles into a groove and as a result meanders a bit. I get what the band are trying to do with the “more riffs for your buck” approach and live these will be killer tracks. On this album, however, it feels as if there is a lack of focus in some songs, as if the song doesn’t really know what it is. This is one of those, far too many changes in riff and tempo and so the song becomes all the best bits sellotaped together.
10 Deadly Crimson (4:54) – An epic to finish the album. Great vocals and some very good, if dissonant guitars, the whole thing has a prog feel to it. A great middle section which lifts the track and builds it to a great finale, driving forward with pace and fury. Good way to end the album.
Overall, I liked this album because there is a lot to like about it. Outstanding guitar work, a great rhythm section, Ross is always vocally great, and his lyrics are very Ross-like, quirky but always interesting. I love the fact that this is the original line-up from 1983 (together now for over 11 years), and that they play live in the studio, none of this record three seconds of a riff spliced it to another three second clip. Satan are currently on tour in Europe and I heartily recommend that you see them and buy this album.
Songs in Crimson releases Friday, September 13th 2024.
Find Preorders at metalblade.com/satan.
Satan online
http://www.satanmusic.com/
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https://twitter.com/SatanUK
As Satan
Court in the Act (1983)
Suspended Sentence (1987)
Life Sentence (2013)
Atom by Atom (2015)
Cruel Magic (2018)
Earth Infernal (2022)
Songs in Crimson (2024)
As Pariah
The Kindred (1988)
Blaze of Obscurity (1989)
Unity (1998)
As Blind Fury
Out of Reach (1985)
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