Happy Halloween fellow Otaku & Metalheads!
We’re here! It’s the most wonderful & spooky time of the year! The one time of the year where the realm of monsters & our world become one, and we experience the magic of Halloween Town and all it has to offer. The pumpkins have been lit, the bowls of candy are ready, and the various goblins & wraiths are wandering our streets looking for the sugary treats they crave. Here on the Heavy Metal Otaku blog, the spookiest of the metal world really let loose. Over this month, I've looked at the Blackened Industrial masters Samael, and it's been interesting to say the least. Today marks part 3, and thus the end of my examination of these guys. Like I hinted at in my last post, this 3rd phase of the band might very well be the strongest material they've released, but is it as impressive as I made it sound? Well, let's not waste anymore time, and take at look at part 3 of my examination of Samael. Let's begin!
Lux Mundi (2011)
With Above not too far in their rearview mirror, Samael continued to put their creativity to the grindstone. On the 19th of November, 2010, they release Antigod. An EP of 6 songs, it was a mix of remixes of older tracks, as well as live versions of others. After that, they went back into the studio with producer Waldemar Sorychta to record, and sent those recordings off to England to be mixed by Russ Russel. Once the mixing was done, Lux Mundi was released on the 29th of April, 2011. Translated from Latin as Light Of The World, the released marked a shift back to the Industrial Metal/Black Metal balancing, but with a healthy dose of symphonic elements. Whether they’re real or made from a keyboard, it was interesting to see the band approach their past with yet another unique spin, and at the moment it appears as if they’re going to stay this way.
Best Track? The Truth is Marching On almost comes across like a song from Above that wasn’t included on the record. There’s considerably more improved recording & production behind it, and thus it doesn’t feel old in any way. That said, there’s a big Death Metal vibe across the whole thing, but with a symphonic aspect to it, as well as Vorph having clearer vocals when compared to how he sang on the previously mentioned release. Though I was originally considering the opener to be the best thing on here (Luxferre), something about TTIMO just catches me ever so slightly more.
The Truth is Marching On
Worst Track? To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there’s a single band track. Hell, if I want to be really honest, there’s nothing wrong with Lux Mundi! If someone wanted to be picky, they might complain about the symphonic elements & the semi-sporadic usage of said elements, but they have to be exceptionally nitpicky to single that element out from everything else.
Lux Mundi. An absolute monster of an album, it brought the band back to their mid-90s roots, yet it still showed that they were able to trying something a little bit different. If you weren’t a fan of their material from the 2000s, then you might like what on this release. Now, despite Samael coming back more or less as their Passage-era selves, it wouldn’t be until towards the end of the decade that they would put out another record....but none of us weren’t quite ready for what was coming. Next album!
Hegemony (2017)
Released on the 13th of October, 2017, the colossus known as Hegemony was a pretty big change for the band. Earlier in the year in February, Samael had left Nuclear Blast Records, and decided to sign onto Napalm Records. In May of 2017, the band members launched a side project called W.A.R. (Worship and Ritual), in order to perform their first two pure Black Metal albums live. In this side group, the original members adopted their old stage names (Vorphalack and Xytraguptor) and Xy returned to playing drums, with their first two concerts happened in Les Caves du Manoir in Martigny (Switzerland).
After that, the band continued to work on their newest record, and like I said above, put it out in record stores & online sites on the 13th of October in 2017. Hegemony was a bit of a subjective change for Samael, as they abandoned the occult & spiritual themes in order to embrace more social and political ones. According to Vorph in a Metal Hammer interview:
“It is the first time we've been very much connected with the zeitgeist. Somehow today, you cannot do this anymore. The news is already on your phone, it's everywhere. You cannot distance yourself, it's running after you.”
Best Track? Kind of a tie between the asskicking duo of Black Supremacy & Dictate Of Transparency. Both songs share similar beats, rhythms, and even singing patterns coming from Vorph. That’ll definitely be a problem for some, yet the overall quality of both tunes in wonderful in my opinion. It should be noted that Dictate Of Transparency got a music video in April of last year, which is really odd if you ask me, but at the same time perfectly conveys the message of always being watched by systems that may not have the people’s best interest in mind.
Black Supremacy
Dictate Of Transparency
Worst Track? If one was to complain about anything with Hegemony, my guess is that they’ll probably complain about the politics. To give the band credit, they seemingly don’t attack any one side, which is refreshing. Not only that, but what the band is trying to convey is never force fed to listeners, which is also refreshing when compared to output from other bands (Some of who I happen to enjoy). Still, there are politics on Hegemony, and given what the climate is like now as opposed to 2017, that may ruffle some people’s feathers.
Hegemony. A brilliant record that manages to capture what many of us were feeling in 2017, it still manages to entertain in addition to conveying it’s message without being preachy. There might be some who aren’t fond of the album because of that political factor, but those people may be in the minority. If you want to be entertained yet have a message delivered to you respectfully, then look no further than Hegemony!
And that was my final look at Samael. Very obviously on the short side, but it felt right to give these two albums their own post. Hopefully, the band finally starts working on a new record, as I’ve been experiencing the shakes for some new music from them for a while. In any case, I hope you enjoyed today’s post, and see me soon next month for my annual looking back at the previous year’s honorable mention & number 1. Until then, take care, and have a fun & spooky day!
***
If you like to hear these albums, then click on the links below:
Lux Mundi (with Re-Release tracks)
Hegemony
No comments:
Post a Comment