Samael
Era One

And here is the new album, or better yet, the new project of the Swiss band Samael, called "Era One". It is 2006, and the band of brothers Vorph and Xy is in the full glory of the new style adopted starting with "Passage", modified and gradually planed down until it became completely different from the early works, like "Worship Him" and "Ceremony Of Opposites". The album includes two CDs, one of which was entirely composed by Xy, the true enigmatic mind of the group; the tracks are only instrumental.

But let's talk about the actual CD. Throughout all the tracks, there is distinctly a pronounced Electro/Industrial Metal style, obviously with many personalized elements that distinguish Samael from other ordinary groups. The first track, the Title Track, is just an instrumental intro (even though one might have expected something better), but it transports the listener to an otherworldly dimension; it is a particularly magical atmosphere that pervades the entire CD, and only after several listens can one fully grasp it, and thus appreciate this (almost...) masterpiece. But let's return to the following songs. The second track, "Universal Soul", has a vague hint of what was left unresolved in the last track of the album "Reign Of Light", that is "Door Of Celestial Peace": indeed, it has the same solemn, throbbing, electronic rhythm, with the same amorphous and expressionless voice of Vorph. In any case, it is an excellent start, as are "Sound Of Galaxies" and the instrumental "Beyond": the new and unique style of Samael spreads slowly but intensely, and the well-crafted and excellently produced sound projects us into an undefined, empty space, that only a mind as ingenious as it is unpredictable as the human one can give birth to.

We then find ourselves, after being almost hypnotized by this mechanical and dreamy music, listening to "Night Ride" and "Diamond Drops": in the former, Vorph's hoarse voice is reduced to a whisper, but beyond this, it doesn't stray too far from previous models, and the same impression is experienced when listening to the latter track mentioned: indeed, we can find quite a few similarities with "Further", another track present in the earlier album. Small but undeniable flaws that a fairly attentive listener already familiar with the band's previous works cannot fail to notice with a slight hint of regret. Setting aside these rather negligible details, we can proceed with "Home" and "Voyage": here we significantly pick up the pace, and we are again catapulted into that strange, senseless dimension, without gravity, without time, without reality, without rules.

And we conclude the album with the beautiful "Above As Below" and "Koh-I-Noor", the former relatively satisfying, pervaded by the same sensation immortalized so far by Samael, the latter is more or less pleasant, a bit "flat" (pardon the term), maybe because Vorph mumbles yes or no four words strung together, and the rest disperses evenly until the end of the song.

All in all, an appreciable and engaging album; however, it is recommended to few, this sudden turning point of the band has been much discussed, and the CD should be listened to with time, attention, and an open mind.