Review by Vladimir on September 15, 2024.

Aside from Blitzkrieg's fantastic self-titled album which came out on September 6th, it would take only a week until we got something new from Brian Ross's other band Satan, which is their seventh full-length album Songs In Crimson, released via Metal Blade Records. Considering that both of these essential NWOBHM bands are releasing their latest albums in the same year, I guess it's either that the stars have aligned or that the world was really hungry for some good old classic UK heavy metal. Without wasting time, let's dive in and take a look at this new bad boy, shall we?

Songs In Crimson provides a variety of fast and mid-tempo heavy rocking tunes with solid riff work and expressive vocals of Brian Ross which give out this vibe of a doomsayer's preaching throughout the entire album, especially on the second track 'Era (The Day Will Come)' where this trait is highly evident. Throughout the entire album, you can clearly hear those traditional New Wave of British Heavy Metal elements that Satan manages yet again to incorporate successfully in their songwriting, still maintaining that classic feel with the effective use of melodies next to the essential evil riffs and wild guitar solos. For those who have previously heard the teaser single 'Turn The Tide', you will most likely agree that this one rightfully deserves its spot among the heaviest tracks on the album such as 'Whores Of Babylon' and 'Captives', and thankfully the single still holds up after a while. If you are extremely hungry for some incredibly catchy heavy metal stuff, you will hear plenty of it here, with the most fulfilling examples being the ominous 'Sacramental Rites', the overdriven rock and roll track 'Martyrdom', and the tight banger 'Curse In Disguise'. Aside from all these significant treats that I've just mentioned, you will also find 'Deadly Crimson' very interesting for its atmospheric mid-section that later transitions into a pure heavy metal attack which leads up to the album's conclusion.

The songwriting that Satan incorporated on Songs In Crimson is quite simplistic and standard in heavy metal terms, but nevertheless very effective all the way through, especially since the overall simplicity gives a very smooth flow from start to finish, while keeping it interesting even if a song has very minimal work. The significant characteristic about this album is that it has a very pronounced stylistic consistency that carries over from one song to another, but it all plays out very well, because you never get the impression that the songs are either highly formulaic or lackluster in nature. I guess that Satan's approach for this album was to keep it simple yet effective, which could be a turn off for some people who really look for a needle in a haystack, but for me personally I quite enjoyed the overall journey from start to finish, and some of the aforementioned songs really stood out with their many qualities. The only thing that bugged me a little bit about the album is the production due to its raw sound which feels slightly thin and unpolished, but nevertheless it didn't really affect the overall experience, because it could still be overlooked if the production is really not that important to you.

Overall, Songs In Crimson is still an enjoyable album worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of the band Satan or New Wave of British Heavy Metal in general. Just like with Blitzkrieg, the fact that both bands are still around after 45 years and kicking ass like there's no tomorrow is really a miracle, and one could hope that in another 10 or 15 years we would still be receiving some prized treasures from these classic heavy metal acts. If you enjoyed Blitzkrieg's newest self-titled album, you should check out Satan's Songs In Crimson, and make sure you crank it up to eleven.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review by Michael on August 18, 2024.

Only two years after releasing Earth Infernal the NWoBHM institution Satan is back with Songs In Crimson. Kicking off with some classic heavy metal riffing the start of the album sounds slightly bumpy, though. What came to my mind first was that the production is very raw and unpolished, which is a nice nostalgic throwback to the 80s, but also the music sounds a little bit hectic, especially the first two songs and to be honest I needed some time to get into both of them. Not that they are bad but they sound slightly driven and restless. The melodies remind me a lot of some crime movies from the '60s or '70s when the police were chasing the bad guys with their cars if you know what I mean. I always have officers like Kojak or the face of Edgar Wallace before my inner eye while listening to them. But apart from that the songs are much heavier (and sometimes even tend to be a little bit punky) than on Earth Infernal. I mean, this all sounds like Satan but I guess this time they did a more spontaneous songwriting without making too many compromises.

With 'Whore Of Babylon' Satan starts to be more melodic and shakes up some nice riffs out of their sleeves. But here and there it seems that the whore is a little bitch, too because the song sounds slightly chaotic in some parts. With 'Sacramental Rites' they finally got me though. This song starts super epic and after that, it reminds me a lot of “Countdown To Extinction” by Megadeth. The melody arcs are really top notch and the vocal lines performed by Brian Ross (who also did a fantastic job on the last Blitzkrieg album) are super catchy. I guess this might be the next live anthem. The song is just an easy listen with a lot of hard rock elements (apart from that Megadeth riff) and just makes fun to listen to. Another easy rocker is 'Martyrdom' which is much faster than most of the other songs on Songs In Crimson. Even the vocals are sung super fast but still, this is absolutely melodic and much more comprehendible than the first two bulky songs. Again, the production gives the song a certain flair, not to be too nice maybe but still a little bit rebellious. 'Curse In Disguise' is a galloping mid-tempo stomper whose catchiness is quite often interrupted by some slightly disturbing guitar tunes. Brian’s vocals sound warning and threatening, quite apocalyptic here. This makes the song a little bit disharmonic but nevertheless a rousing piece of classic heavy metal. Here you can find these frantic tunes again that made out the opening songs of the album. But when you came to this song, I guess you got used to that and you won't find it too irritating anymore. 'Truth Bullet' could have been on “Into The Unknown” by Mercyful Fate. The chorus is so similar to “Holy Water” from that album, maybe it is some kind of homage to them? Guess I have to find that out. But apart from that, this song is another catchy one that grabs you instantly. The song spreads a gloomy and threatening atmosphere and is another highlight of the album. And again, Brian’s vocals are top-notch here, the range from deep to high is extraordinary, especially when you consider that he is already turning 70 this year.

I guess that Satan don't make it too easy on Songs In Crimson for the listener but if you take the time and listen closely to that 7th full-length album by these legends you won't be disappointed. There is so much to find that you don't even notice that you're listening to it for the fourth or fifth time; no this album needs much more spins to fully explore it. But trust me, it is worth doing this!

Rating: 8 out of 10