Satan's 'Songs in Crimson' - Album Review

Whilst they may not have been one of the biggest names of the original NWOBHM movement back in the 1980s, Newcastle's Satan have certainly become one of the most consistent and prolific bands from those times who remain active. In truth, though, the NWOBHM movement could well be stronger now than it was during its heyday. Saxon are playing to bigger crowds than ever and have released so many excellent albums in recent years, whilst smaller bands like Praying Mantis and Tygers of Pan Tang remain active and continue to release enjoyable material. Plenty of other bands from the time still tour and sporadically release new material, too, so the scene which spawned so many memorable bands and the DIY attitude which remains a vital mindset in metal more broadly seems as vital now as it did in the 1980s. Satan may not be one of the genre's initial shining stars, but 1983's Court in the Act is seen as a bit of a classic of the genre's original era. Sadly, though, the band never really capitalised on the album's success. The history of Satan is a messy one, as they soon changed their name to Blind Fury, before reverting to Satan, and then changing their name again to Pariah. In the pre-internet times, I imagine such chopping and changing would have been hard to keep up with - so it is not really a surprise that the band never really established themselves early on. There were a few line-up changes around this time, too, particularly relating to the frontman position - so I imagine it was hard to build up any sort of meaningful momentum given the regular changes of singer and the numerous rebrands. The band's classic Court in the Act line-up has been together again since 2011, though, and, since then, Satan have really started to gain the respect they should have received back in the 1980s. It helps that they have been prolific in terms of new albums - as since reuniting they have now released five studio albums as well as a live album. I am yet to hear all of these albums, but the ones I have heard are all very good. Both 2018's Cruel Magic and 2022's Earth Infernal (which I reviewed here) are very strong - and the latter was the first of the band's albums that I bought when it came out and properly digested. Last month, then, the band's latest effort Songs in Crimson was released - two years on from Earth Infernal. It is the band's fifth album since reuniting and the seventh overall to be released under the Satan name. As has been the case since 2011, frontman Brian Ross, guitarists Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey, bassist Graeme English, and drummer Sean Taylor have produced another really strong album of organic-sounding heavy metal - with excellent lead guitar work throughout and a number of memorable choruses. Of the Satan albums which I have heard, too, this could be my favourite yet. It is a little shorter overall than the others and it seems that there is more of a focus on hooks than ever - with Ross in particular shining thanks to a number of big choruses.

Despite this hookier and slightly more condensed feel, the band's core sound remains intact. The raw and relatively low-fi production style which has served the band so well in recent times is present - but the album still sounds powerful, with the balance between rawness and clarity being nicely struck. Frantic Zero opens things up and the high-energy song opens with a flurry of guitar leads - which sit atop a percussive drum and power chord pattern, setting an early groove, before a fast-pace riff takes over which recalls early Iron Maiden a little. The song generally proceeds at this fast pace throughout, with the deep, theatrical voice of Ross rumbling atop the machine gun guitar riffing, whilst the simple drumming of Taylor keeps things moving at pace. Brief mid-paced sections are included to vary things up somewhat, where a hypnotic riff and a percussive beat take over. The song does not really have a proper chorus, with a shredded guitar melody somewhat taking on that role, with the mid-paced section acting as something of a pre-chorus. There remain plenty of hooks despite this, though, with the guitar playing of Tippins and Ramsey producing a vast number of memorable melodies - and the overall structure is classic of the NWOBHM era's want to sometimes do things differently from the norm. As such, the song is a great opener thanks to its frantic pace and focus on strong guitar melodies - with the Satan sound well and truly established again from the off. Era (The Day Will Come) slows things down somewhat and goes for more of a mid-paced and groovy approach - with a hooky riff kicking in from the off and another later riff forming the basis of the song's memorable verses. Unlike the previous song which went for a full heavy metal approach, this song contains more of a classic rock strut, something commonly found within the NWOBHM, but there is an edge to the track which keeps it within the metal realm. The band's approach to lead guitar playing is not hugely dissimilar from Mercyful Fate's - so there is a creepy atmosphere whipped up by the playing of Tippins and Ramsey, particularly during a later effect-laden solo, but the chorus is a real hooky moment which does up the pace somewhat and features some call-and-response vocals which are sure to stick in the brain. A personal favourite song of mine here is the anthemic Whore of Babylon, which opens with some of the creepiest harmony guitar lines on the album - before the band launch into a slightly faster riff, which is underpinned by some suffocating bass playing and the hard-driving snare hits of Taylor. It is not as fast as the opening track but it feels more urgent than the last song - but despite the pacier feel there remains a strong groove thanks to the prominent bass playing. The verses feel a little more restrained, with Ross belting out the lyrics against a couple of different snaking riffs, whilst the chorus feels much more of a shout-along moment thanks to some melodies which are easy to latch onto. It is the sort of chorus that is sure to go down very well live thanks to this more anthemic approach - and there is also a lengthy and shredded guitar solo which adds some metallic flair to the piece, building on some of the creepy melodies from the song's opening.

Sacramental Rites opens in a more atmospheric way, with some subtle keyboards and busy clean guitar melodies - but the song slowly grows around this slower feel, with the rhythm section gradually increasing in intensity before the band transition into a hooky and mid-paced riff and the song gets underway proper. Whilst the band do go full throttle sometimes, I think that they generally operate more successfully when they go for a mid-paced and groovier sound. This tends to bring the best out of Ross' booming voice, as he has more space to operate, and the riffing of style of Tippins and Ramsey is allowed to feel knottier and groovier. That is certainly the case here, with English adding some great counter melodies on the bass at times, and the song is another really hooky moment thanks to the driving verse riff and a chorus which again features something of a classic rock strut - which makes it easy to connect with. Lead guitar breaks and a two-part guitar solo which opens slowly and concludes with some busy shredding add plenty of magic to the song - and it is another favourite as a result. Martyrdom picks up the pace somewhat and opens with a melodic guitar lead which sits atop some galloping riffing. Due to the pacier nature of the track, there are some further shades of very early Iron Maiden here - but the classic Satan sound is retained thanks to that slight darkness their sound conjures up as well as some guitar moments which feature some strange, yet bluesy, effects. Snappy riff-led breakdowns inject some further interest into the piece, over which a screaming guitar solo soon does its thing, and this is very much a song for the guitarists. I do not find the song to be as memorable from a vocal perspective. It is another song which lacks a big chorus, so it does suffer a little in my opinion, but the guitar playing remains impressive. Turn the Tide is another fast-paced track, and it returns to the frantic feel of the album's opening song somewhat - albeit this time with the addition of a massive chorus. As is often the case with such songs, the main riff and verse are pretty fast-paced, with the band really charging out of the blocks - over which Ross croons with his rich delivery. There are some great headbanging moments here, but perhaps the best part here is the song's hooky chorus which is much more mid-paced and includes some repetitive hooks which easily sink in. Ross even throws in the odd scream, which is quite rare for him given his deeper voice, and another busy solo is packed with hooky phrases and fast shredding - and the song is another highlight as a result. Captives maintains a relatively fast pace, but it does not feel as frantic - with a groovier, almost southern rock-esque rhythm which sounds a bit different for the band. As such, there is a bit of a boogie vibe throughout, but the fuzzy guitar tones and the strident vocals of Ross keep the track firmly rooted within the album's core sound - even if the grooves push through a little more than usual. There song is pretty hooky, then, and it is certainly one that would encourage quite a bit of movement from a crowd if the band chose to play it live. The overt boogie feel is a little strange for Satan, but it throws back to the classic rock roots of the NWOBHM - so it does somewhat work.

Curse in Disguise returns to a more familiar territory, though, with a great Mercyful Fate-esque guitar intro kicking things off - before a hooky and groovy riff takes over. I like how the riff is given time to bed in, with a short break to allow English's bass to take over and add additional colours throw in, which gives the song a slightly progressive edge. This is further emphasised as the track moves along, as there is a lot of space here given over to instrumental moments. Ross still has a prominent role, but the general guitar breaks and riff-led moments are more stretched out and expanded upon here - with a lengthy lead guitar break injecting some excitement, whilst each riff seems to be given more time to breathe before Ross starts to sing. The song's guitar solo section is great, too, as it opens with Tippins and Ramsey harmonising with some old-school Thin Lizzy-esque melodies - before one of them takes over alone and delivers a shredded platter. The song is another pretty fast one despite the varying riffs and grooves throughout - and it is great to see a high-energy piece here which retains the band's general variety and groove despite the pace. Truth Bullet returns to the band's core mid-paced sound, though, with a simple chugging riff early on which is underpinned by some prominent bass playing, soon giving way to a strangely atmospheric verse complete with underlying effects-heavy clean guitar melodies and a slightly more restrained vocal from Ross. He still sounds massive, as he can only really operate in an epic way, but he does pair it back a little - only to go for it a bit more as the song progresses towards a heavier chorus. The mix of a relatively lighter feel and the heavier chorus gives the song a dynamic feel - although in truth most of Satan's songs feel dynamic in one way or another due to the plethora of riffs which each track tends to contain. This song is more dynamic in a traditional way, though, with the light and shade - and there are also some moments which return to the harmony guitar leads of the previous song, with another solo which contains such. The album then comes to a close with Deadly Crimson, another generally mid-paced track which showcases the band's core sound in a big way. Despite this, though, there are a few tweaks to the formula - and there are some fast-paced leads which evoke a folky feel at times, but again they have shades of Mercyful Fate's approach to ensure the band's creepy vibe is retained. An epic chorus slows the pace down further, and is likely to another very memorable moment thanks to Ross' expressive vocals, whilst there are more slower sections later in the track which actually see the band operating a more doomy territory with some slow-burning riffs and a dark chug that is heavier and slower than the band generally go. It works well, though, although the pace does pick up again as another busy guitar solo takes over. It is a great closing number thanks to this slightly variation on the band's core sound - and it ends things on a heavier note. As mentioned earlier, this might be my favourite Satan albums so far of all of the ones I have heard. The songs here are generally snappier with strong hooks but there are still deviations throughout the ensure that interest levels remain. The band are one of the best in class currently when it comes to NWOBHM in the 21st century - and I am sure there will be more to come from them in the future.

The album was released on 13th September 2024 via Metal Blade Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Turn the Tide.