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SAMAEL Passage LP SPLATTER SKU: N-39610 GTIN: 8592735010086 Category: Euro Artists: SAMAEL

Floga Records, gatefold, silver w/ cyan blue splatter vinyl
/300 copies.
Samael – Passage Samael - Passage album cover More images
Label:Floga Records – FL19 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Repress, Silver With Cyan Blue Splatter Country:Europe Released:Sep 15, 2023 Genre:Rock Style:Black Metal A1Rain A2Shining Kingdom A3Angel's Decay A4My Saviour A5Jupiterian Vibe A6The Ones Who Came Before B1Liquid Soul Dimension B2Moonskin B3Born Under Saturn B4Chosen Race B5A Man in Your Head Pressed By – GZ Media – 195243E Gatefold cover, limited to 300 copies. Barcode: 8 592735 010086 Matrix / Runout (Side A): 195243E1/A Matrix / Runout (Side B): 195243E2/A



Industrial/symphonic/electronic/black metal band from Sion, Switzerland, started in July 1988 by brothers Michael Locher (Vorphalack/Vorph) and Alexandre Locher (Xytraguptor/Xytras/Xy).
Current line-up: Vorph (Michael Locher): vocals, guitar (1988– ) Xy (Alexandre Locher): drums, keyboard, programming (1988– ) Drop (Thomas Betrisey): bass (2015–2018), guitar (2018– ) Zorrac (Pierre Carroz): bass (2018– )
Former members: Pat Charvet: drums (1987–1988) Masmiseîm/Mas (Christophe Mermod): bass (1991–2015) Rodolphe H: keyboarda, samples (1993–1996) Kaos (Frédéric Miniutti): guitar (1996-2002) Makro (Marco Rivao): guitar (2002–2018)
And here we have...a black/industrial release? In fact...it's more like an industrial release with a few influences from black metal.
This description alone would not be enough to grab my attention. I'm a fan of other genres of metal, but industrial metal really isn't one of them. I don't have anything against it, but industrial metal is just not my thing.
Yet for some reason, this album is one of my favorite of all time. It is powerful, it is beautiful, and it is unique. Let me explain why.
Samael started their career as one of the first 2nd wave black metal bands. They were a very good one at that too, using some hints of electronica and keyboards over a powerful and hard-hitting black metal sound. With Passage, they lost much of that.
The music on here is heavily rhythmic, with some excellent electric drums to drive the beats. Perhaps the best part of the whole album is the sound of the electronic snare drum. It is so clear, so potent, and such a central part of the album that it is hard to miss. Just listen to the beginning of "Shining Kingdom" and see how it continues to drive the entire song. The keyboards employed aren't heavily abused; they provide some beautiful melodic passages to really set Samael apart from other industrial metal bands. In fact it may be the melodic passages of the keyboards that make the release so fantastic. Check out the haunting introduction to "Angel's Decay" and the soothing melody in "Moonskin". Vocals are very deep and somewhat rough, though entirely intelligible. They're a little lighter than earlier Samael releases, but great nonetheless. The guitars provide plenty of heavy parts, as in the simple intro riff to Chosen Race and Liquid Soul Dimension. The guitars and bass don't play a big role in this album, but they are present and they help create a solid sound.
Best songs: Angel's Decay, Moonskin, Shining Kingdom, A Man in Your Head
Overall I'd recommend this to any industrial metal fan. Also, if you're a black metal fan who is open to black metal fusion artists (like Limbonic Art), you may like this album too. This is one of my favorite metal releases of all time.