ALBUM REVIEW: Satan – Earth Infernal

NWOBHM titans SATAN are back with their 6th album! Set for release via Metal Blade Records on April 1st.

Opening with some doomy riffs which meet melodious leads and cymbals, the eerie and textured sounds of Satan clearly have not lost their nuanced identity. Galloping into a much livelier and more traditionally NWOBHM assault of pounding drums and ferocious riffing, the bite is razor sharp and full of skilful playing. Majestic and full of energy, there is no denying this band has gone from strength to strength while never breaking the masses, those who know Satan have loyally followed for decades and worshipped at their small but opulent altar of superb Heavy Metal. The vocals soar upon the shredding guitars while the rhythm section is diverse and impactful in its own right, this is a band where no member takes a back-seat position. From its earliest moments the record makes a monstrous statement that is difficult to ignore. The first 3 tracks feel like back to back classics, and the quality thereafter does not dwindle.

Aside from the glorious musicianship and warm, inviting production, Satan’s use of varied moods paint an intricate picture which has triumph, gloom, despair and joy weaving in and out as the songs progress powerfully. Naturally the record has these monumental neoclassical moments that inject huge amounts of passion and variety into an album that is inarguably as metallic as it gets. The crisp tone of the bass and clean guitar sound they use is instantly recognisable and perfectly showcases that low tunings and tons of distortion aren’t essential to heaviness, the intensity and quality of the song speaks louder than any of this. As has always been the case with this band, any individual song is great, but far more memorable in the context of the full album. Satan has never superficially strung a bunch of songs together, they have always crafted a grander work and this is no different. Everything has its place and the rest has been cut away to leave only what is needed.

From “A Sorrow Unspent” with its tribal drumming introduction, the liveliness ramps up to 11 with a blistering piece of music that has the whole band running on overdrive to inject us with adrenaline before settling into a dusky and more brooding chorus. This is one example in a greater framework of complex and marvellous songs that have so many unexpected twists while fitting the overall albums concept and sound perfectly. “Luciferic” is probably the most straight-forward and typically heavy of the songs but still features plenty of their occult and mystical atmospherics. It is hard to single out tracks that stand out when they all do, but that’s definitely a great one for someone who might be new to the band. But I do implore you, listen to the whole record, you shall not regret it for a moment.

Legions of Satan, this cult act return with another splendid opus that offers us more of the bands legendary and unique style. Wonderfully tight musicianship centred around profoundly enjoyable and atmospheric songwriting. This is a band that have stuck to their guns and done so in a truly rewarding manner time and time again. With Satan it has always been quality and not quantity and this rings true for “Earth Infernal”, a masterfully written and gripping listen.