Review by Jophelerx on August 4, 2024.

I've been a fan of the USPM style since 2010 or so, but at that time I never expected a comeback of the strength we've seen in the last couple of years. Sure, there were a few more modern USPM classics like Steel Assassin's debut, Onward's debut, and Cauldron Born's output, but nothing on the scale I've seen recently. USPM monoliths and obscure acts I never expected to reform have both made comebacks; of course, it's going to be hit and miss, but with the sheer number of bands putting out new material, some are bound to be hits, and the most recent album from Satan's Host is certainly an example of a perfect hit. The band had some stiff competition in 2013 alone with comeback albums from Satan and Attacker, new albums from Manilla Road and Argus, and altogether new bands like Blazon Stone and Terminus. However, Satan's Host's Virgin Sails blows all of those out of the water (well, to be fair, Satan comes fairly close).

2011 was a year full of hype for the classic heavy/power metal scene, with the reformation of classic NWOBHM act Hell and their debut full-length, a comeback album from Riot with classic vocalist Tony Moore, Manilla Road's long-awaited followup to the modern masterpiece Voyager, and of course a change of pace for Satan's Host, with original vocalist Harry Conklin returning to the band. While Satan's Host's By the Hands of the Devil was certainly a step in the right direction, I felt it was still too much in the black/death metal camp and fairly underdeveloped as a whole. The end of the same year saw a compilation of re-recordings from the band, which both excited and disappointed me. While the re-recordings of "Metal From Hell" and "Witches' Return", from Conklin's time in the band, were absolutely superb, the re-recordings of their black/death material were, obviously, even more in the black/death camp than the debut album had been, and the two new songs weren't much better. So I waited for their next album to come out, not expecting much but hoping that maybe they'd go in a more heavy/power direction like we saw on the debut back in 1986.

Holy fuck, did Virgin Sails ever exceed my expectations. As expected Harry Conklin is in absolute top form, one of the few vocalists who manages to sound better in 2013 than he did on classic albums like Ample Destruction and Metal From Hell in the 1980s. What's unexpected is the vast improvement in both songwriting and style, creating one of the best power/thrash albums I've ever heard. The songs on By the Hands... felt overly long and repetitive, with good but overused ideas scattered throughout bland black/death riffs; that's all gone here. There's a little bit of extreme metal influence, but it's incorporated very fluidly, feeling not at all out-of-place or clunky. At its core this is really just dark, vicious power/thrash - perhaps the darkest and most vicious power/thrash album I've ever heard. The closest release I can think of to this style is the little-known USPM/thrash act Dark Deception's Sadistic Intentions demo - read my review for more details on that one.

This album is just glorious in the most unholy way possible; infernal chants, haunting croons, malevolent growls, and of course Conklin's most-used style, a ball-shattering midrange USPM below. The songwriting is also varied enough that you can listen to the album all the way through without getting bored at all; some riffs are more atmospheric, like the intro of "Dichotomy," and some are just mercilessly ripping thrash, like in "Island of the Giant Ants." However, there are really no disappointments to be found here; despite the fact that the album is almost an hour long, with songs clocking in at nearly seven minutes on average, nothing ever feels bloated or overlong; this is just goddamn masterful songwriting. There's not a bad song here, nor do any really stand out of the pack; they're all brilliant. If you are a fan of USPM, thrash Harry Conklin, or Satan's Host, go get this album NOW. This is the true realization of the band's vision, something they never achieved on Metal from Hell but have finally mastered after over 35 years together.

Rating: 9.6 out of 10