Satan - Atom By Atom
Listenable – 2015
Muthas, in 2015 several NWOBHM bands have released, or are
set to release, new albums. I’ve already
reviewed the new Iron Maiden, I’ll
review the new Saxon shorty, and this
time I’m reviewing the new album from Satan. In 2013, Satan came out of nowhere with one of the best albums of the year –
Life Sentence. It has a legitimate claim to the crown for
most impressive comeback album of all time.
The band intentionally wrote and recorded the album as if they were
recording the follow-up to their 1983 classic Court In The Act. Most bands
claim to do this, but they normally deliver something that’s various shades of disappointing. Life
Sentence delivered on that promise and then some, with the album being
maybe the best thing they have ever done.
So how does the new album, Atom By
Atom stack up? Read on!
Atom By Atom picks
right up where Life Sentence left off
and is definitely a worthy successor. It
features their patented intricate guitar work, solid rhythm section, and the
ageless voice of Brian Ross. The forty seven minute album offers up ten tracks
that are all good if not great. There are no low points on the album to bore the listener, which is very rare with older, reunited bands.
“Farewell Evolution” kicks off the proceedings with a killer
scream and then tons of frantic, frenetic guitars that propel song ably. It’s a great way to launch an album! “Fallen Saviour” and “Ruination” display more
pure speed, hooky guitar work and tasty vocals.
“The Devil’s Infantry” has appropriately martial drumming and crunchy
guitars with really cool lyrics. Also, the final scream from Ross is a perfect display of his vocal power. Check it out here along with the rest of the album:
It should be noted that Satan
write some insanely catchy choruses that will drill right into your gray matter
and stay there for days and the title track is
a great example of this. There are a couple of other superlatives tracks on the album – the galloping “In Contempt,” the middle-eastern flavored tinged “Ahriman,” and the uber-catchy “Bound In Enmity,” which reminds of their song “Twenty
Twenty Five.” So damn good!
One of the absolute highlights of the LP is the final cut, “The
Fall Of Persephone” which spins an epic tale of the destruction of the Earth by
a meteor. This is a departure for Satan with its varied tempos, mid-song spoken word piece, and the result is an unmitigated triumph. This
sprawling track proves that you don’t need eighteen minutes to tell a great
story and enthrall your audience. Also,
it’s not about a fucking blimp that crashes, which certainly helps.
__________________________________________________
The Bottom Line: This is a great album and a more than worthy
follow up to “Life Sentence.” It’s
definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of the band, the NWOBHM or great
heavy metal in general. There’s much to
love here and it’s definitely worth purchasing, so go out and get it.
As always, MAKE MINE METAL!
