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