Review SATAN ‘Earth Infernal’

There couldn’t be a much better moniker for a metal band than Satan. Especially considering the time when the band started their metallic adventure back in 1979 makes and made the band name even more outstanding.

Satan’s debut ‘Caught in the Act’ was released in 1983 and immediately grabbed the attention of metalheads, not only in the UK. Being musically rooted in the NWoBHM, the band could quickly enlarged their fanbase but in the end never really made it to the top. Satan is and was well-known and at the same time always stood in the shadows of the big names.

Consistency is what was missing. Although the guys never made bigger adjustments to their sound, a change of the iconic band name to Blind Fury and Pariah didn’t support the rise of the British metal veterans.

Since 2011 the quintet is back as Satan and released three longplayers, all of them being good heavy metal records. Four years after ‘Cruel Magic’ was unleashed, Satan ships a next longplayer to the record stores. ‘Earth Infernal’ is the title of 10-songs featuring record that comes with a strong nostalgic factor.

I guess nobody expects big changes when it comes to the sound of Satan and the band lives up to this expectation. Traditional metal is what gets out of the speakers, songs wrapped into a warm and organic sound that acts as a treat in times of partly sterile sounds. Listening to songs like the hellish ‘Luciferic’ and the epic ‘Burning Portrait’ is a delight. The heavy pounding ‘Poison Elegy’ is pure joy too and in the end, each of the tunes on ‘Earth Infernal’ has this special extra that differentiate the band from many other metal outfits.

I must admit that ‘Earth Infernal’ didn’t bloom right away. It took a few spins before the unwrapped all the little details and twists. There is a lot to explore on this album and if one gives ‘Earth Infernal’ the right level of attention, a metallic thrill comes in return.