Artist: Samael
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 2/8/05
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Title: Reign of Light Artist: Samael Label: Nuclear Blast Records Release Date: 2/8/05 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
I tend to think of Samael in the same way I think of Tiamat. Both were bands that really stood metal on its ear in the mid-nineties, composing expansive, majestic albums that still sound relevant to this day. Both of these bands also had monumental falls. Victims of their own progression, they've become shadows of their former selves.
"One word review: Anemic." Samael's last good record was Passage, an album that worked because it bridged their techno/goth/industrial with a solid sense of riff and cadence. Reign Of Light shows hints of their former brilliance, but the album as a whole falls far short of successful. Lead track, "Moongate" is probably the most successful song on the album, and even it would just have been mediocre on their earlier albums. The biggest problem with modern day Samael is their unwillingness to rely on the guitar. Without strong riffs this sound is anemic. Worse, still, it's fleeting. Classic songs like "Rain" and "Baphomet's Throne" were so compelling because the main riffs were infectious, driven into the listener's consciousness by the pounding rhythm. That aspect is either completely lacking here, or is far too diluted.
However, as with Tiamat's recent Prey, there is enough respectable material on this disc to keep me interested. This is, in many ways, an easy record to listen to, and it contains a fair amount of catchy choruses. In fact, one who wasn't acquainted with this band's earlier catalogue might consider this quite compelling. But the simple fact is that every established act is competing with their own legacy and this material just plain pales in comparison.
This band seems like they're going through the motions, and have just enough raw talent to keep them in the middle tier. A few songs off this album will make it on a couple of mixes, but the album as a whole will most likely be relegated to the depths of my CD collection. One word review: Anemic.
Death's Review:
Nice packaging, but this is really just too far out there for my taste. I've never been as much into Samael as I thought I should be, but they've really lost me here. Reign of Light certainly is no Ceremony of Opposites. As the sound evolves and the electronics, keyboards and programming take deeper hold, the industrial tendencies heighten and the metal element begins to fade away. The Waldemar Sorychta production is professionally rendered, as expected, but the music overall is just not my taste. I respect the Samael name, but this is pretty much Rammstein-style dance/hard rock most of the way throughout. I suppose it grooves alright, but I won't be coming back to this one too much after sending in this review. I'm sure some of you diehards out there will appreciate this. There is still an intensity to some of the tracks and a clear honesty to the vocal delivery of tracks like "Telepath" or "Oriental Dawn," but musically this is much more about the techno dance beats than it is about the metal riffs. So while some of you who like stuff like the Kovenant might like this, I'm not too into it and I'm moving on.
"Reign of Light certainly is no Ceremony of Opposites."
Hel's Review:
I was all set to like this record. I'm not a Samael expert by any means, but I've had some experience with the band, both live and with a couple of their older records, and had enjoyed most of what I'd heard. This had not prepared me for what came through my speakers when I pressed "play" after placing this shiny circular object in my player. "Techo Rammstein?" I swear, this was the first thought that ran through my head.
"I find myself pretty disappointed." "It took them six years to give us this?" was the second thought that went through my brain. As the album continues, I find myself constantly wondering, "What the hell?" As at a loss as I was listening to this, I am even more at a loss as to what to write about it. There are things about it that are interesting, and as I mentioned before, and I certainly wanted to like it, but the whole electronic vibe they have going on is so not my thing.
So, either I didn't know as much about the band as I thought I did, or they have taken a huge u-turn away from what they used to be. Or maybe both. In any case, this is most definitely not the record I was hoping it would be. I've tried very hard to embrace it, but there always seems to be something derailing my efforts. I'm sure there are people who will really enjoy this record, and I wish them all the best. I give the band an extra skull for finally coming back after all these years, but I find myself pretty disappointed.
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