 | Tracklist:
01. Luxferre
02. Let My People Be!
03. Of War
04. Antigod
05. For A Thousand Years
06. The Shadow Of The Sword
07. In The Deep
08. Mother Night
09. Pagan Trance
10. In Gold We Trust
11. Soul Invictus
12. The Truth Is Marching On
Release Date: 05/03/2011 | |
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On 5 Lists
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| Summary: Samael return to the sound that made them great. |
When Samael released Passage it marked a turning point for them. With the release of that album they were able to gain a significant number of new fans by introducing them to a novel (at the time) combination of industrial and rhythmic black metal. Passage succeeded by retaining the main elements that had made their first few albums such favorites among the black metal community, but by also dragging them into a whole new light with the huge percussion, classical flourishes and electronic undertones. Unfortunately, future albums weren’t able to keep the same perfect ratios as they delved headfirst into industrial metal and left the black metal behind. In hindsight, it wasn’t as though these industrial releases were bad (although Eternal had a lot of growing pains), it was just that they weren’t the Samael that people knew and loved. The growls had been replaced with a slightly processed spoken word delivery that occasionally delved into cringe worthy singing sections, and the black metal riffs had been dropped in favor of your typical looped power chords. Eventually they released their ‘back-to-roots’ album, Above, by bringing the black metal influences raging back to the forefront, but it still wasn’t classic Samael.
Classic Samael was always about Vorph’s inhuman growls and Xy’s ability to create some of the most infectious percussive grooves in black metal. It was about the cold, nihilistic riffs and desolate atmospheres – and it was definitely about the varied ways that each album brought those elements together. These were all things that Above barely even touched on, but at least it got the band in the right mindset again. Lux Mundi marks the return of the bleak riffs that made Ceremony of Opposites and Passage so great. It also throttles back the tempos found on Above in favor of the rhythmic, mid-paced approach that they have always done so well. This has allowed them to return to the pounding percussion of Passage, but with an overall vibe that is much more similar to Ceremony of Opposites’ traditional black metal approach. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the band also chose to return the classical-influenced keyboards that always contrasted so well with the industrial influences on Passage, but it may surprise some that Vorph has also returned to the unrestrained growls of old. Of course there are hints of the band’s modern sound such as the occasional spoken word section or industrialized groove, but overall Lux Mundi is simply classic Samael with just the right amount of their modern sound.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 3.5
I decided to try for a much shorter review this time.
Digging: Art By Numbers - Reticence: The Musical | | |
Haven't really been too interested in these guys based on Passage and Above, but I guess I might as well try this out.
Good review nonetheless; short and to the point.
Digging: Venetian Snares - Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Pom Poms Digging: Venetian Snares - Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Pom Poms
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Yessss! Passage was cool, so I'll check this out. Great review.
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Interested. I'll give it a try.
Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself Digging: Andrew Bird - Break It Yourself
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I have a soft spot for this band. I would probably rate this a '4' if I didn't write the review.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
i'm looking forward to this one.
Digging: Spawn of Possession - Incurso Digging: Spawn of Possession - Incurso | | |
Interestingly enough I have never heard anything by this band before.
Digging: Mount Eerie - Clear Moon
| | | Album Rating: 3
sweet, excited for this :]
Digging: Weakling - Dead as Dreams Digging: Weakling - Dead as Dreams | | | Album Rating: 3.5
Really? Can I reccomend Ceremony of Opposites followed by Passage and then this one if you like those.
Edit: to Crysis.
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I'll get on those ASAP. I've known of this band for a really long time but never bothered to check out their stuff. Anxious to hear it.
| | | Album Rating: 3
downloading this now, let's try it out
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Glad someone else likes this band.
Digging: Pseudogod - Deathwomb Catechesis Digging: Pseudogod - Deathwomb Catechesis
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for some reason, never expected this to get reviewed.
Digging: Candlemass - Psalms For The Dead
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Why not? To be honest, this was a last minute inclusion so you were close.
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dunno. never listened to these guys but i know they've influenced a lot of hardcore bands.
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hmmmmmm
Digging: Botanist - I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose From the Dead Digging: Botanist - I: The Suicide Tree / II: A Rose From the Dead
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I thought Passage was good, but nothing too special. I might give this one a chance though.
Digging: Steamy Ray Vaughan - A Little Bit of Rattlesnake Digging: Steamy Ray Vaughan - A Little Bit of Rattlesnake | | | Album Rating: 3.5
Saw Psyclon Nine in the recommended section, gives me hope for the album.
Digging: Lemuria (BE) - Tales, Ale, and Fire Digging: Lemuria (BE) - Tales, Ale, and Fire | | | Album Rating: 3
Gonna give this a spin. I like the short format Willie.
Digging: Vaura - Selenelion | | | Album Rating: 3
this is better than Solar Soul :]
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