RSS Feed


SATAN
Songs In Crimson

Metal Blade (2024)
Rating: 8/10

As if he isn’t busy enough with one seminal New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band in Blitzkrieg, vocalist Brian Ross leads another, Satan, onto the battlefield. Songs In Crimson is the seventh full-length studio outing from the band which originally formed back in 1979. Ross appeared on the band’s 1984 debut outing, Court In The Act, but left shortly afterwards and didn’t return to the fold permanently until 2011.

Just like Blitzkrieg, Cloven Hoof, Black Rose, Holocaust and more emphatically Saxon, Satan has remained consistent in its quest to keep the British heavy metal flag flying, even with a lengthy hiatus in-between. The current formation alongside Ross consists of all longstanding members; Russ Tippins (guitar), Steve Ramsay (guitar), Graeme English (bass) and Sean Taylor (drums).

It seems obvious that the chemistry of the band should be so strong, but the evidence comes via the last three records from Satan which proved time and time again the quality. It’s no different with Songs In Crimson, an album constructed of excellent musicianship resulting in straight up heavy metal compositions which will show the young upstarts how it’s done.

Lead single ‘Turn The Tide’ is particularly rampant in its design and I’m surprised it doesn’t kick the album off. Even so, every song is potent with rhythmic pulsating, the most furious being bone rattler ‘Frantic Zero’. The choruses throughout are catchy with a majority of songs galloping at a rate of knots, particularly ‘Sacramental Rites’ and ‘Captives’, the latter opting for a strange bluesy assault.

The album is also rich in charging riffs and wild solos, so there’s plenty of punch and brooding intensity too as ‘Curse In Disguise’ beams with a Mercyful Fate grin bolstered further by English’s burly bass. Even after so many years Ross is on point, snaking devilishly between Taylor’s hammering drums.

Sure, there is a familiarity with the album, but then why should Satan attempt to fix something that’s never shown signs of being broken? These guys are not here to follow trends, this is long haul heavy metal from a band that continues to unleash quality, all summed up by the closing track ‘Deadly Crimson’, another boisterous yet warm affair which brims with nostalgia. Songs In Crimson is very much a case of better the Devil you know as Satan rules supreme.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share