Satariel
"Phobos & Deimos"
Hammerheart records 2002
TRACKLIST:
1. SODOMY EYE
2. COFFIN GATEWAYS
3. STRANGER WORLD
4. THE CLAIM
5. BETRAYER LOVE
6. THE SUN IS GRAY
7. THE HOLY TRINITY
8. DEATH COME COVER ME
9. ZENITHAL MAN
10. DOVESHOOTER
11. GREATER THAN GOD
This is the second album from the swedish band and the progression from "Lady lust Lilith" (1998) is remarkable. While their debut was competently performed and written I still couldn't remember a damned thing when I pressed the 'stop'-button. Though their formula of melodic death mixed with black metal and thrash really hasn't changed it's clear *something's* happened. Satariel has learend to write songs. They manage to create something both fresh and memorable (even sneaking in a doom-song as track #7), something that's quite a feat considering how bloated the "Melodic death-thrash"-genre is nowadays.
As I said, what stands out here is the excellent songwriting. Listening to the album, from the lurching, mid-tempo stagger of "Sodomy Eve" via the blastbeat-orgy that is "The Claim", all the way to concussive blast of "Greater then god" which ends the album, you WILL be impressed (and probably find yourself singing along to the highly infectious chorus of "Holy trinity"). The performances by each member are excellent and tighter then a schoolgirls ass but extra praise needs to be given drummer Zoid and vocalist Per Johansson. Per is one of the few singers I've heared who actually can sing clean, growls and BM-screams and make all three sound fantastic. To be honest, even though they have Candlemass-legend Messiah Marcollin on guest-vocals on three of the songs it all feels abit unnecessary since Per could do it all himself and sound just as good. In fact, on "Coffin gateways" he does a very nice Messiah-impersenation in the chorus. And if you have any doubts to why I'd claim that Zoid is the one holding the album together; just listen to his tastefull and interesting drumming in "Coffin gateways". Plenty of double-bass, blast beats, even FASTER blast-beats and a "groove" in his drumpatterns I haven't heared since The Project hate's "When we are done..."
The production from Daniel Bergstrand's Dug-Out studios (SYL, Meshuggah, Soilwork) is as always crisp but with a good amount of bass in the mix. On a side-note; I think Bergstrand is about to outrival Studio Fredman when it comes winning the hearts of the Swedish death-scene.
If you've managed to make it this far in my wordy review you've done something wrong. Why haven't you bought "Phobos & Deimos" yet?
Recommended songs:
"Coffin gateways"
"The Claim"
"Holy trinity" (feat Messiah)
"Stranger world"
http://come.to/satariel
"Phobos & Deimos"
Hammerheart records 2002
TRACKLIST:
1. SODOMY EYE
2. COFFIN GATEWAYS
3. STRANGER WORLD
4. THE CLAIM
5. BETRAYER LOVE
6. THE SUN IS GRAY
7. THE HOLY TRINITY
8. DEATH COME COVER ME
9. ZENITHAL MAN
10. DOVESHOOTER
11. GREATER THAN GOD
This is the second album from the swedish band and the progression from "Lady lust Lilith" (1998) is remarkable. While their debut was competently performed and written I still couldn't remember a damned thing when I pressed the 'stop'-button. Though their formula of melodic death mixed with black metal and thrash really hasn't changed it's clear *something's* happened. Satariel has learend to write songs. They manage to create something both fresh and memorable (even sneaking in a doom-song as track #7), something that's quite a feat considering how bloated the "Melodic death-thrash"-genre is nowadays.
As I said, what stands out here is the excellent songwriting. Listening to the album, from the lurching, mid-tempo stagger of "Sodomy Eve" via the blastbeat-orgy that is "The Claim", all the way to concussive blast of "Greater then god" which ends the album, you WILL be impressed (and probably find yourself singing along to the highly infectious chorus of "Holy trinity"). The performances by each member are excellent and tighter then a schoolgirls ass but extra praise needs to be given drummer Zoid and vocalist Per Johansson. Per is one of the few singers I've heared who actually can sing clean, growls and BM-screams and make all three sound fantastic. To be honest, even though they have Candlemass-legend Messiah Marcollin on guest-vocals on three of the songs it all feels abit unnecessary since Per could do it all himself and sound just as good. In fact, on "Coffin gateways" he does a very nice Messiah-impersenation in the chorus. And if you have any doubts to why I'd claim that Zoid is the one holding the album together; just listen to his tastefull and interesting drumming in "Coffin gateways". Plenty of double-bass, blast beats, even FASTER blast-beats and a "groove" in his drumpatterns I haven't heared since The Project hate's "When we are done..."
The production from Daniel Bergstrand's Dug-Out studios (SYL, Meshuggah, Soilwork) is as always crisp but with a good amount of bass in the mix. On a side-note; I think Bergstrand is about to outrival Studio Fredman when it comes winning the hearts of the Swedish death-scene.
If you've managed to make it this far in my wordy review you've done something wrong. Why haven't you bought "Phobos & Deimos" yet?
Recommended songs:
"Coffin gateways"
"The Claim"
"Holy trinity" (feat Messiah)
"Stranger world"
http://come.to/satariel
