Satan's 'Earth Infernal' - Album Review

There's an argument to be made that the NWOBHM movement is stronger in the 2020s than it was in its 1980s heyday. In terms of influence and cultural significance, such a statement is clearly nonsense, but when the quality of recent releases from NWOBHM acts is considered - then such a claim does not sound so ridiculous. To me, too, it seems that many of the best modern NWOBHM albums are being released by bands that did not find significant success during the genre's original boom - with the one exception being Saxon, although they were never as big as some of their peers. Throw in the fact that there are a number of newer bands out there playing music very much rooted in the style of the NWOBHM (Night Demon are an obvious and relatively successful example), and the retro sound of early 1980s heavy metal is certainly alive and well in the 2020s. One band that has been religiously releasing strong albums over the past decade or so is Satan - a Newcastle-based five-piece who made a bit of a splash in 1983 with the release of Court in the Act before derailing any momentum that the album allowed them with numerous line-up changes and re-brands. Between 1983 and 1989, five albums were released by the band's nucleus under the names Satan, Blind Fury, and Pariah - with three different singers joining guitarists Steve Ramsey and Russ Tippins, bassist Graeme English, and drummer Sean Taylor. I imagine that the masses struggled to keep up with this constant shift in branding, and the band called it a day at the end of the 1980s. They resurfaced under the Pariah name for a few years towards the end of the 1990s, but this reunion was short-lived and only produced one album: 1998's Unity. Seemingly wanting to finally return to where it all started, however, the four aforementioned musicians, along with classic-era singer Brian Ross, reunited again in 2011 - and this time under the name Satan. This reunion is currently eleven years old, and has resulted in the release of four studio albums - which brings the release of studio albums released under the Satan name to six. The past decade has easily the been the most stable and prolific of Satan's history too. The same line-up has stuck together throughout, and the reviews have been some of the best in their career. With the exception of the band's newly-released Earth Infernal album, though, which is the subject of this piece, my only previous exposure to the band's music was 2018's Cruel Magic - which I first picked up around a year ago. I enjoyed Cruel Magic quite a lot, and Earth Infernal is very similar - both in terms of quality and sound. Satan are certainly at the heavier end of the NWOBHM, and there is a Mercyful Fate influence throughout - at least musically, as Ross' voice is quite deep and dramatic. The album has been produced in a way so as to sound retro, too. This is not a big, flashy sounding album - but it sounds quite fuzzy and organic. It reminds me sonically of Europe's more recent albums - as well as Angel Witch's 2019 release Angel of Light (which I reviewed here), which is a better comparison considering that the two bands are peers.

Wanting to get straight down to business, and instead of hiding behind some kind of atmospheric intro, Satan start the album in a heavy fashion. Whilst the opening to Ascendancy does open with some slow-burning twin-guitar leads, they are backed by a doomy riff - and this melodicism soon gives way to a big drum barrage and a great fast-paced riff that turns the clock back to the early 1980s. Many of the tracks here are on the faster side, and there is a real energy throughout the album as a result. Like modern Saxon, the modern Satan are really fired up - and are arguably heavier now than they were originally. Ascendancy is a great example of this, as the pace never lets up throughout. Ross' theatrical voice soars over the top of the heavy, dry guitar tones, whilst a lengthy solo section sees Ramsey and Tippins trading shredded leads back and forth. Ross might not have the greatest vocal range, but his style is very distinct. He is perhaps less urgent-sounding than some of the punkier NWOBHM singers, but there is a thespian quality to his delivery that suits Satan's organic heaviness - although he does unleash a high-pitched scream at the conclusion of the solo section to show that he can inject a little extra character into his delivery when required. Lead single Burning Portrait is similar, and the overall pace of the opening track is retained. For me, though, the song is more melodic and less in-your-face than the opening cut - as the overall arrangement is much more dynamic. The aforementioned Mercyful Fate influence is very apparent here, as Ramey and Tippins constantly harmonise with each other throughout, creating ominous-sounding riffs and melodies, whilst Taylor lays down some hard-hitting beats. Burning Portrait has distinct chorus section, too, which slows the pace down somewhat and allows Ross to really express himself over the top of a snaking guitar melody and a staccato drum punch. The vocal melodies during the chorus are extremely catchy, and it is one of the album's hookiest moments for me - so it makes sense that the song was released early to promote the album. Twelve Infernal Lords is similar, but the song just sounds much bigger - and there has clearly been a real effort made here to make it sound very epic. Ross' vocals are very dramatic throughout, and he uses the lower end of his register to really rumble throughout the mix, Candlemass style - but there are a handful of higher screams included to add to the song's overall epic sound. Compared to the opening two songs, too, Twelve Infernal Lords feels somewhat more progressive. The guitar riffing seems a bit more technical here, and the instrumental sections are a little longer to allow the riffs to really bed in. English's bass is also pretty high in the mix throughout, which gives the song a real depth. His playing is likely more audible too thanks to the weaving nature of the guitar riffing, which is based around twin-guitar leads and melodies - which further add to the song's more progressive and epic-sounding nature.

An instrumental piece, Mercury's Shadow, follows and slows the pace down somewhat. It opens with some acoustic guitar melodies, but it is not too long before the rest of the band kick in. It then essentially becomes a mid-paced vehicle for riffs and guitar solos - and the overall style reminds me very much of early Iron Maiden this time. The sound is a little brighter throughout, and the riffing style is not too dissimilar to that which was found on the first couple of Iron Maiden albums. A Sorrow Unspent then gets the album back on its more familiar path, although it does open in a somewhat different manner with some Eastern-tinged guitar melodies and percussion - before another big riff kicks in and the song becomes largely another fast-paced anthem with pseudo-thrash riffs and an urgent vocal performance. There are moments which slow the pace down, which allow Ross to inject some heroic wordless vocal melodies, and the band to go for a more anthemic riffing style that contrasts nicely with the speed metal that characterises the bulk of the song. Whilst I like the band's faster riffing style, most of my favourite riffs throughout the album are the more mid-paced ones - and the slower sections of A Sorrow Unspent really shine for me as a result, particularly with what Ross tends to do vocally as a part of them. Luciferic is another more dynamic piece, and the overall pace is generally slowed down throughout. The mid-paced track has a real crunch to it, but there is also an atmospheric depth here that is not always present in the band's music. Subtle keyboards seem to have been used throughout to create a spooky atmosphere, although they are used very sparingly and never interfere with the band's core sound. The riffing is still very much king, and being a mid-paced track there are a number of very memorable guitar moments here - including a great solo section that is a mix of speed and melody. The band's mid-paced sound also brings the best out of Ross' voice too in my opinion. He sounds great throughout the album, but he really shines here thanks to the song's more anthemic nature - his deep voice rumbling over the strident power chord sequences. From Second Sight ups the pace again, but it does not reach the fastest speeds that have been seen on the album - with the song still retaining an anthemic quality whilst also injecting a bit more of an urgency throughout. The riffing is still very memorable throughout, and there are some excellent guitar melodies throughout the verses which are a bit different from the norm. These melodies help to elevate the song, and also throw in the odd curveball - which is welcome considering that the song is somewhat on the shorter side. Many of the songs here are around five minutes long, but From Second Sight is under four - so it feels much more compact compared to the other songs here. It is a catchy track though, and the aforementioned guitar melodies help to the track to pack a punch.

Poison Elegy is another more mid-paced track, and as such it is another song that goes for a much more theatrical approach. There is still plenty of riffing throughout, but overall it seems as if the song was written to be a vocal showcase for Ross. Generally throughout the album there is a balance between the dominance of the vocals and the guitars, but this song is very much all about Ross. There are still some strong riffs here, but this very much a melodic track that was written to be sung over. This style works well, though, and there are not many moments on the album like it - which allows it to stand out. It has another very memorable chorus, which rivals the excellence of Burning Portrait for me, and sees Ross operating in full-on thespian mode - as the band lay down a staccato riff around him for maximum effect. The Blood Ran Deep returns to the fast pace that the album opened with, and as such the song is something of a real contrast to the anthemic, vocal-dominated Poison Elegy. The importance of the guitars is very much re-established, but perhaps the standout performer here is Taylor. He is not the flashiest drummer, but I like how he manages to inject lots of pace and energy into the band's very fast songs without relying on endless double bass drum patterns. The drumming throughout The Blood Ran Deep is very reminiscent of his style, and the retro production give the drums an old-school booming sound. I like how they do not always sound perfect and well-balanced sound-wise as is the case in many modern metal albums - which helps to give the album a great energy and a proper human touch, in an age when so many feature triggered or even slyly programmed drums. The album then slows down one last time for the closing track Earth We Bequeath. It is another more anthemic mid-paced track, and it is easily the album's most epic-sounding song. Ross delivers another fantastic vocal performance throughout, and his screams during the chorus are almost King Diamond-esque - which again recalls that Mercyful Fate influence that runs through the entire album. This song is probably the closest that Satan come to sounding like Mercyful Fate, too, as it has that great mix of melody, atmosphere, and evilness that made the Danish band such an influence in the early 1980s. Earth We Bequeath is still very much rooted in the NWOBHM though, and the track is more anthemic than Mercyful Fate's core sound thanks to Satan's classic rock-esque strut. There are moments throughout that feature some very simple riffs which would see fists in the air if the band ever play it live, whilst other moments are more complex - with the band's slightly progressive side again given a chance to shine. It is a song that mixes a bit of everything that has been heard on the album up to this point together, and as such it is a great way to round it out - with all of its great and powerful melodies being a real bonus. Despite my general lack of knowledge when it comes to Satan, I have been enjoying this album a lot over the past couple of months. It is similar in style and quality to Cruel Magic, and based on what I have read this quality extends back further into the band's catalogue too. I fully intend to seek out the rest of the band's albums in due course, as there is clearly a lot more out there for me to discover about this NWOBHM stalwart.

The album was released on 1st April 2022 via Metal Blade Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Burning Portrait.