“It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told.” “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” “Yes, it will, Precious, won’t it? It will get the hose!” Just like Buffalo Bill strutting his handiwork, Satan’s Wrath have returned full of, thrashy, blackened, Greek bombasity. They’ve recovered their Frankensteined Venom and Possessed skin-suits from the far reaches of their respective musty wardrobes and with the help of their trusty BeDazzler, they’ve given them a brand spanking new lease on life!
For those of you not familiar with Satan’s Wrath, a mere year ago these satanic coven masters unleashed a hell-ride consisting of nine galloping anthems of pure blasphemy. Aptly titled, Galloping Blasphemy and despite it’s tacky 80’s style album art, ended up on every music playing device I own and I’m still not quite over it. 2013 sees Satan’s Wrath returning under the fold of Metal Blade Records, to unleash their sophomore release – Aeons of Satan’s Reign. The album continues on from where Galloping Blasphemy left off, adopting the same dark intro and then settling into that familiar sloppy, repetitive, raspy homage to the Dark Lord that has a tendency to fill my necromantic heart with glee.
The album kicks off with “Only Satan is Lord” a track that certainly harkens back to the days when death, black and thrash genres were all one and the same and it was only your tattoos leather and spikes that separated you. Tas Danazoglou’s (Sabbah Navahthani, ex-Electric Wizard, ex-Eight Hands for Kali and ex-Great Coven) familiar vocal style is a throwback to the days of Possessed being eerily similar to the low-end guttural raspings of Jeff Becerra on Seven Churches.
When I say that Aeons of Satan’s Reign extends from Galloping Blasphemy, I mean that quite literally. There are moments of actual déjà vu where you’re unsure of which album you’re listening to and it’s only the production differences (the slight cleaned up professionalism on Aeons of Satan’s Reign, a hint to the band’s evolution from obscure beginnings) that clue you in. “Only Satan is Lord” dishes out similarities that instantly bring to mind “Slaves of the Inverted Cross,” while “Die White Witch Die” has moments that remind me of “Leonard Rising Night of the Whip.” If you enjoyed the original tracks you’ll enjoy getting all touchy feely with their lesser famous half-sisters.
Stamos K (ex-Scar of the Sun) still holds centre stage on guitars. He doesn’t re-invent the wheel nor quite reach the aggression of Slayer or chaos of Possessed but in tracks like “All of Us Witches” and “Ecstasies of Sorcery” he gets close. His riffs and solos are fun, attention grabbing, loose and scream like a demented beast. And as Tas belts out “his black magic will make you insane!”
While I’ve enjoyed Aeons of Satan’s Reign, it’s not going to fill the raw and festering spot on my many music devices currently occupied by Galloping Blasphemy. Outside of “Only Satan is Lord,” “Die White Witch Die” the slightly Marduk flavored “Archfiend” and the twisted shifts of “Aeons of Satan’s Reign,” the remaining tracks don’t have the stickiness I hoped for and they just disappear into the ether mere moments after they’re played. I guess the end of the year will tell if this is a grower.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Label: Metal Blade Records
Websites: Still refusing web presence in the name of evil (and kvltness)
Release Dates: EU: 2013.11.08 | US: 11.11.2013
