Produced by Xy
Released: 2009
Over the last decade or so, Samael has made a stylistic shift into the realms of industrial ambience that has at times bordered on pop. It was a vastly different style from the early days when they were one of the original pioneers of black metal outside of Scandinavia.
So imagine my surprise when Above almost tore my ears off with blindingly fast riffs, furious blastbeats and caustic, grim vocals. The industrial and ambient elements are completely gone, replaced instead with a thick, vicious guitar sound, a relentless pace and subtle underlying melodies. This was originally intended as Xy’s solo album, and he is the prominent energy behind it. Vorph’s heavily distorted vocals are low in the mix and the drums are at the front, vying with Makro’s hyperspeed tremolo-picking as the driving force.
On first listen it may sound like Samael’s usual dynamics and sense of melody have been shunned in favour of the punishing pace, but those hallmark elements are still there, playing an understated yet important role that gives Above far more depth than that of just a fast black metal album. And this is without doubt the fastest album Samael has ever made. On “Dark Side” the drums are just insane as the band nears a black grind intensity and the speed rarely drops below full-on for the entire 40 minutes.
As both an homage to the groups that inspired them and a return to the aggression of their past, Samael’s Above is a triumph and one of the best albums of the year so far.
- Under One Flag
- Virtual War
- Polygames
- Earth Country
- Illumination
- Black Hole
- In There
- Dark Side
- God's Snake
- On Top of it All
Rating: 97%
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