The Soulstalker’s Reviews:

 ‘The Satanist’ by Behemoth

            2014 is sure to be chocked full of bone-splitting Metal releases from many of the [Metal] community’s heavyweights.  Just a month into the New Year and the bar is being raised and set by artists spanning all veins of the genre’s lifeforce.

            Of course, there is great anticipation of new At the Gates material and Jazz/Prog-Death fans rejoice with a new Cynic album dropping worldwide in the next week.  But taking the eyes of the road for a moment; the kings of extreme, Behemoth, have just dropped a bomb on the entire years’ playing field for Metal music.

            Returning triumphantly after more than one illness in the organization that is Behemoth, the band has offered up a nine track opus [on Metal Blade Records in the US] that is sure to earn you a trip to your local confessional (Just Kidding).  But in all seriousness, this album is as up front as it gets.  All of the songs are appropriate in length and they still managed to retain the bombastic nature of emotion displayed in the more recent Behemoth releases.

            Aside from the sheer catchiness of ‘The Satanist’, the re-visitation to old school black metal beats [at points] and “ode to shred guitar legend” riffs will undoubtedly keep this record in the 2014 rotation.

Track Rundown:

1)      Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel:
Initiate desolation and godlessness.  This track (and first single) sets an eerie tone that can be followed throughout most of the album.  ‘Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel’ is a warning shot for what’s about to come your way.

2)      Furor Divinus:

For the second song on the album, ‘Furor Divinus’ holds war waging drum beats with venom spit straight from the serpent’s mouth.  Three minutes of intensity and peril.

3)      Messe Noir:

Warning…This track is a fucking slaughter.

4)      Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer:
Some of the best hooks from ‘The Satanist’ are packed into this track, right in the middle of the album…And there’s that Goddamn Gabriel blowing his Trumpets, again!

5)      Amen:
This song, for most listeners, will be the realization that it is 2014 but this album is completely KVLT.

6)      The Satanist:
To display a waltz down a left-hand path is to write a song so extreme that it endorses this polished “old” Blues Rock sound in the form of a killer solo…And is that more trumpeting?!

7)      Ben Sahar:

Signature Behemoth elitism speaks for itself, here.

8)      In the Absence of Light
This track is a lesson in black metal blasting, footwork and proper use of sustain.

9)      O Father O Satan O Sun!:

An epic end to ‘The Satanist’ concept.  Starting beautifully, it ends up leaving this resonant resistance [to things kept sacred] in the back of the mind.

What do you do when your band’s front-man beats leukemia and your band’s world class drummer doesn’t die from appendicitis?  Well, clearly this material is that of their best work, spanning the past five years (or close to it).  So you flip-off the sky and release the beast that is, ‘The Satanist’.

Soulstalker, out

Andy Winter - Incomprehensible- Experimental The End Records released on January 22 2013 Track#1=10.5 #2=9.5 #3=9.5 #4=10.5 #5=10 #6=9 #7=10.5 #8=10
 

Avatarium- S/T- Doom                                      Nuclear Blast release November 25th 2013         Track#1=9.5 #2=9 #3=10.5 #4=9 #5=10 #6=10 #7=9

Black Sabbath -  13  -  Godfathers of Metal             Universal release  June 11th 2013          Track#1=10 #2=10 #3=9 #4=10.5 #5= 9 #6=9 #7=10.5 #8=10

Carcass- Surical Steel- Death Metal                  September 17th on Nuclear Blast       Track#1=Intro#2=9.5 #3=9 #4=9.5 #5=10 #6=10 #7=10 #8=10.5 #9=9.5 #10=10 #11=9

Death Dealer - War Master - Power        Independent - June 12TH                          Track#1=9 #2=8.5 #3=9.5 #4=10 #5=10.5 #6=9.5 #7=9 #8=10.5 #9=9.5 #10=10

The Dillinger Escape Plan - One of us is a Killer- Mathcore  Sumerian Released on May 14th 2013     Track #1=9 #2=9.5 #3=10 #4=10.5 #5=9.5 #6=10.5 #7=10 #8-Intro #9=10 #10=10.5 #11=9

Dream Theater -  S/T  - Prog Metal                        Road Runner released on September 24th  Track#1=intro #2=10 #3=9.5 #4=10.5 #5=9 #6=9 #7=9.5 #8=10 #9=10.5

Extol - Extol - Melodic Thrash                          Facedown Records released on June 25th      Track#1=9.5 #2=10.5 #3=9 #4=9 #5=9.5 #6=10 #7=intro #8=9.5 #9=9.5 #10=10

Frynask - Eldir Nott - Black                               Megaforce released on November 25th 2013          Track#1=intro #2=10 #3=9 #4=intro #5=10.5 #6=intro #7=10

Gorguts  - Colored Sands - Death Metal           Season of Mist Released on September 3rd 2013   #1=10.5  #2=9.5  #3=9.5  #4= 9.5  #5=intro #6=10.5  #7=10  #8=9  #9=10.5

Immolation -Kingdom of Conspiracy- Death Metal   May 4th 2013 on  Nuclear Blast                                    Track#1=10 #2=10.5 #3=9.5 #4=9 #5=9 #6=10.5 #7=9.5 #8=10 #9=9 #10=9.5

Ihsahn-Das Seelenbrechen-Melodic Experimental         Mnemosyne/Candlelight- October 29th     Track#1=9.5 #2=9 #3=10.5 #4=10.5 #5=9.5 #6=10 #7=9.5 #8=10 #9=9 #10=9

Joe Satriani-Unstoppable Momentum-Instumental Prog     Epic Records released on May 7th  Track#1=9.5 #2= 10 #3=10.5 #4=10.5 #5=8.5 #6=8.5 #7=9 #8=10 #9=10.5 #10=10 #11=9

Leprous -Coal - Prog Melodic                                Inside Out Records Release May 28th 2014  Track#1=10.5 #2=9.5 #3=9.5 #4=10 #5=10.5 #6=10 #7=9.5 #8=10.5

Nero Di Marte     S/T        Prog Core Djent                 March 2013 on Prosthetic Records  
Track#1=9.5 #2=10 #3=9 #4=9.5 #5=10.5 #6=10.5

Oceano  -     Incisions    -    Extreme                    Earache Release September 30th 2013   Track#1=8.5 #2=9 #3=9.5 #4=10 #5=9 #6=10 #7=9 #8=10.5 #9=9.5 #10=10 #11=9 #12=9

Rings of Saturn - Dingir - Technical Death   Unique Leader released on February 5th 2013   Track#1= 10 #2=9.5 #3=10.5 #4=9.5 #5=10 #6=10.5 #7=10 #8=9 #9=9.5 #10=10

Sirenia - Perils of the Deep Blue-Symphonic/ Gothic     Nuclear Blast released on July 9th  Track#1=intro #2=10.5 #3=9.5 #4=9.5 #5=10 #6=9 #7=10 #8=10.5 #9=9.5 #10=10.5 #11=9.5

Soilwork - The Living Infinite- Thrash                      Nuclear Blast Release March 5th 2013  Track#1=intro #2=9.5 #3=10 #4=10.5 #5=9 #6=10 #7=9 #8=8.5 #9=10 #11=intro #12=10 #13=10 #14=10.5 #15= 9.5 #16=9.5 #17=intro #18= 9.5 #19=10 #20=9.5

Thought Chamber - Psykerion - Prog Metal     Inside Out Records release  September 30th Track#1=10 #2- #3=10 #4=- #5=10.5 #6=10 #7=- #8=9 #9=9.5 #10=10 #11=10 #12=9 #13=9.5 #14=10.5 #15=10 #16= 9.5 

iwrestledabearonce - Late For Nothing- Prog Core  August 6th  Century Media                                Track#1=9.5 #2=9.5 #3=9 #4=9.5 #5=9.5 #6=8.5 #7=10.5 #8=10 #9=10 #10=10 #11=9 #12=9.5

Witherscape  - The Inheritance  -  Melodic   Century Media released on August 6th 2013          Track#1=9.5 #2=10.5 #3=10.5 #4=10 #5=9 #6=9.5 #7=9.5  #8=9.5 #9=outro                           Dan Swano and Ragnar Wilderburg

At first I didn't think that the latest album "The Lord of Steel" from the Kings of Metal (Manowar) was as good as their last two L.P's, however, this album gets better with every spin. Even some of the more lower rated tracks are as catchy as hell and will get stuck in your head with multiple plays. I have tracks like Manowarriors, Touch the Sky, El Gringo and Annihilation down as perfect tracks, and about four others close to perfect. A couple of things that really stand out on this album are the bass tone, Eric's killer voice, the lyrics, and the drumming.

The Lord of Steel was released in 2012 on Magic Circle Entertainment.

If you are a true Manowarrior you will love this album. 

Prosthetic Records knows they're Prog big-time, so when they signed Heaven's Cry (from Canada) I figured that they had to be a good Prog band. Well, I was wrong. They found a  killer gem in Heaven's Cry. They are capable of writting catchy top notch Progressive Metal, and they are very talented. Come to find out, Heaven's Cry has two previous albums out that Prosthetic just re-released. In 2003 if I would have known about their 2003 release Primal Power Addiction, I would of put in my top 20. Their 1996 Debut is a top 50 album of that paticular year. Heaven's Cry's 2012 release Wheels of Impermanence is hands down a top 20 Prog release for 2012. I think if this band puts out a couple of albums they could really become contenders.

Moonloop's new album Deeply from the Earth (out on listenable records) is highly recomended for Melodic Metalheads. This album has all the great elements that helped early Opeth become one of the best Metal band's ever. There is a couple of blast beats on this L.P., so to call it Meoldic Death Metal wouldn't be out of bounds. But it might scare some people away!