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SATANIKA
Nightmare

Iron Shield (2014)
Rating: 8/10

Italy’s Satanika are one of the better thrash bands doing the rounds at the moment, providing the listener with furious riffs and rasping, throaty vocals which bring to mind the past glories of German giants Destruction and Sodom, with hints of Venom.

This quartet, who are fronted by Cris Pervertor, have been in existence since 2009 and in that time they’ve been extremely prolific rattling out three full-length albums, including this one, plus a number of EPs. Pervertor and his right-hand man Barren (guitar) have been ever-present throughout the band’s history and since 2010 have been joined by drummer Aeturnus and then in 2012 by bassist Haemon.

Over the years since their inception Satanika have got better and better and now seem extremely comfortable at spewing out classy yet infectious blackened thrash which features catchy, oily riffs and a hard-hitting drum sound. There is a sense of the primitive throughout Satanika’s recordings giving belief that these guys have an understanding about the roots of thrash metal and on their latest offering the formula is still the same; hard, heavy riffs, volatile drums and fiery vocals and yet with earthy aplomb.

Nightmare opens with the electrifying ‘Electro-Shock’, a bile-infested rust-pit of sound that evokes the noise of old Sodom as the drums hammer away and the bass of Haemon runs rampant amidst the leather-clad mayhem. There are touches of Slayer – as is always the case – but there’s nothing dull or retrospective about this brand of annihilation, and by the time we’ve reached the fury of ‘Mask Of Satan’ one can only join these guys in their cesspit of fire as they thrash like maniacs, effortlessly combining communicable riffage and hostile sneers.

The ten tracks on offer quite literally whistle by, and this is no real problem because once the likes of ‘Blood Orgy Of The She-Devils’, ‘Sacrifice The Bitch’ and ‘Devil’s Reject’ have made their unholy mark upon your flesh, you’ll be eager for another visit to this lunatic asylum. Satanika are keen to boast their fascination with horror films, and such morbid fascination helps the record with its vintage feel. However, each time one thinks they may have heard a few of the details before Satanika throw in a refreshing riff or bruising melody that leads us into further dimensions of speed and horror.

With their last effort, Infection, making quite an impact on me back in 2012 I was eager to see if Satanika could keep the metal blood flowing with this record, and I’m pleased to say that with the likes of ‘The Executioner’ and ‘Steel Aggressor’ they’ve kept the momentum going and given me another lesson in how to thrash the old way but without sounding like just another revival band. This is real, aggressive thrash metal that not only goes for the throat, but rips it entirely out.

Neil Arnold

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