Death SS
The Story Of 1977/1984

Released in 1987 under the Minotauro Records label, this album represents what the first two line-ups of Death SS managed to record in 7 years. The record is divided into two parts: the first 5 songs with Steve Sylvester on vocals, the last 7 with Sanctis Ghoram. Due to some "dark reasons" (as the band's guitarist/organist Paul Chain himself writes), the master recordings have been destroyed. For this reason, we can only listen to old demo tapes, which partly damages the listening quality. But this "handicap" strongly enhances the mystical aura of the work, and the animalistic cries that precede the first song "Terror" introduce us to the atmosphere. This proves to be the band's historic track, from which Death SS started (the first-person structure of the lyrics is analogous to the song "Black Sabbath" of the namesake group). And from Sylvester's harrowing and prolonged scream that closes the first act, it is mandatory to mention "Horrible Eyes" with the reading of the Bible passage concerning the Devil (and for those who Believe, it sends shivers down your spine...).

This first part of the disc relies heavily on the raw voice of the vocalist and on Chain’s sharp riffs. The gloomy organ notes of "Violet Overture" instead mark Sylvester's departure and the band's move away from Satanism (which will then culminate, with the Violet Theatre, in Purple Magic). The recordings become clearer and Sanctis Ghoram delivers a memorable performance in "Chains Of Death". Reversed whispers and an almost twelve-tone piano introduce the sinister "Black And Violet", while Paul Chain precedes his Violet Theatre in "Schizophrenic", where he sings using a purely phonetic and meaningless language (and I assure you the effect is quite unsettling...).

In essence, this album is very original, especially considering the period in which it was composed. If someone has not yet listened to it, light some candles in the evening, alone, put it on the stereo and let me know! Those interested in this musical period of the band could complement this CD with the collection "The Horned God Of Witches", related to the group's first line-up.