Satan - Songs in Crimson

Angry Metal Guy

One of the great mysteries in life is how an 80s NWoBHM act with limited success in their heyday could become such a reliable source of righteous metal thunder 40 years later. Satan was an original member of the British metal explosion, but despite a solid debut and follow-up, greater glory eluded them. after 1987s Suspended Sentence, they folded up shop and moved on. It wasn’t until 2013 that Satan rose again with a shockingly vital and all-around badass opus called Life Sentence. It sounded like a NWoBHM product but everything was dialed to 12 and the writing and playing were razor-sharp and uber-infectious. Thus began one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Killer album after album followed, delivering exemplary retro metal with polish, class, and brass balls. 2022s Earth Infernal was one of the year’s best metal albums and it seemed Satan could do no wrong. Now comes album five of their unholy comeback campaign. Can Songs in Crimson keep their unnatural late-career resurgence going?

There’s no cause for a Satanic panic because Songs in Crimson is the same hard-rocking retro metal attack we’ve heard since 2013, though this time the band sounds more raw and rough. Slashing opener “Frantic Zero” is indeed frantic and hard-charging, bordering on early days speed metal with furious fretboard slinging and thunderous drumming. NWoHM’s hardest-working man Brian Ross roars and croons his way through the maelstrom with grace and poise and everything feels like 1983 (as it always should). There’s been a touch of Hammers of Misfortune in their sound on the last several albums, but it’s more pronounced this time, with cuts like “Era (the Day Will Come)” reeking of their handiwork. An early high point is the gobsmacking tumult of “Sacramental Rites” which sounds like Satan cross-pollinated with Hammers and Wytch Hazel¹ for a rowdy monster sure to bludgeon your delicate sensibilities. The chorus hits harder than a dump truck full of concrete, and Ross is in a very high feather.

Song after song comes out to smack your arse in the dirt and Satan’s approach holds up remarkably well. Yes, it’s NWoBHM at its core but it sounds fresh and interesting rather than old and moldy. There’s a vitality and raw power to this that’s often lacking in traditional metal styles. “Turn the Tide” is a world-beating tune full of wild guitar pyrotechnics and dazzling musicianship with a chorus that sticks like Gorilla Glue. “Curse in Disguise” leans into vintage Mercyful Fate-isms while incorporating some Dave Mustaine-esque riffs for extra spice. No songs here qualify as filler or bunk, though the back end is less propulsive and sticky-addictive than the first half. “Captives” is fun but hits a bit less intensely and closer “Deadly Crimson” goes for an epic sound but doesn’t fully connect all the dots on the yarn wall. The tight 44-plus minute runtime and the refusal to let any song run into the fifth minute make for a fast-paced stream of metallic aggression that can be digested quickly with no reflux. The production is rougher than before, giving the material a live vibe and intensity that suits the band down to their cloven hooves.

As with all the late-career Satan platters, the guitars are the main attraction. Original Satan axe slingers Russ Tippins (Tanith) and Steve Ramsey (Skyclad) bring the heat relentlessly with more ace leads in any 3 songs than you get over all 65 hours of Senjutsu. They live on that bleeding edge between traditional metal and speed and throw caution to the wind in the name of MOAR. Every song has killer moments and their solos are just so damn tasty. Brian Ross is a metal legend who gave us a lovely Blitzkrieg album this month, and now he shows us how it’s done again here. The man may not be blessed with the crazy pipes of Halford or Dickinson, but he knows how to drive a metal song with commanding vocals and can still hit some shockingly high notes when needed. He’s metal royalty and imparts a classy gloss to every track. The backline is also top-notch with Graeme English (Skyclad) thumping along expertly on bass and Sean Taylor (ex-Blitzkrieg, ex-Raven) pounding away like a man half his age. This is the fountain of youth in album format.

The sounds of Satan continue to compel me and though Songs in Crimson is a slight click down from Earth Infernal, the quality is still sky-high. Every time Satan drops a killer album, I go back to their early stuff to see if I missed the signs of future greatness. Each time I find solid if not exceptional NWoBHM fare. Thus the mystery of where these last 5 albums come from. We may never know, but we should praise Satan for them. Hails and Devil horns!



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: satanuk.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/officialsatanpage | instagram.com/officialsatanpage
Releases Worldwide: September 13th, 2024

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