Samael
Eternal

THE REVIEW

Whether you like it or not, Samel, thanks to their apocalyptic mix of Industrial, Dark, Electronic, and Black bases (completely absent here, though you can clearly hear the genre's echo in every groove), I won't say they've invented a genre that could be called "Electro-Metal", but at least, if such a definition existed and were canonical, it would certainly include these Swiss among its pioneers. They've extracted the best from their homeland, drawing from the previous experiences of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost and Coroner, just to name two, and then influencing bands that followed their path, like Alastis, who unfortunately, suffocated by the same extreme avant-gardism that created and influenced them, disappeared quite disgracefully due to their lack of the monstrous capabilities of Samael.

And "Eternal" is the perfect witness of the brave and dark path the six embarked on already with "Passage" and which then led them to release the summa and the record of their ambitions with "Exodus" and "Reign of Light".

Unlike "Passage" however, this album moves on more catastrophic coordinates and less introspective ones, neglecting the abominable malevolence for a bit to delve into the black holes of electronics and synths at all costs. And this proved to be a double-edged sword: on one side, the final product is certainly praiseworthy, always managing to thrill and excite the listener's imagination, keeping them glued to the stereo for the entire duration of the CD. On the other, it tires a bit, precisely because, being highly refined in production, having been colossally wonderfully and perfectly mixed, it deprives the pieces of much "atmosphere," making them appear nothing more than sterile experiments different from each other, and this, for a band like Samael, is certainly not a plus.

I am not a "defender" of the so-called "True Metal" far from it. I only state that perhaps, a few less samples, some effects removed, and a massive dose of madness would have made "Eternal" the umpteenth masterpiece to which unending praises would be sung. Sure, specialized fanzines and those who have grasped its essence have still praised it as the "extreme" attempt to take Metal to another level never before reached (and much could be said about this statement as well...). But I wonder: what if, instead, extreme attempts were desired, but in such doses that wouldn't de-naturalize the essential passion that animates this genre of music? What would change?
Everything and nothing. Since anyhow, even from this perspective, Samael seems to be cautious, given the inconsistency with which they've intentionally proposed this album, without making its brazenness and strength felt, only managing to glimpse its massive shadow that comes from it.

If so, as I ultimately believe, then I would find myself spectacularly wrong, but perhaps it's not to say that I'm mistaken; certainly, unfortunately, I must state that two or three good songs that I liked on an album containing twelve altogether cannot lead me to say this is a masterpiece. At best, a good effort, excellent at times ("Supra Krama", "Together") astonishing even in "The Cross", mediocre in others ("Us", "Nautilus and Zeppelin", "Infra Galaxia"), but certainly not at the level of "Passage" where every song was a little black diamond fitting perfectly into the disc's granitic and bold structure.

So, this time I don't yell "miracle" nor "masterpiece." Honestly, I feel like recommending the CD to the loyal fans of the Swiss band, but to those who certainly want to know them for what they truly are, I can only say to get "Reign of Light" and "Passage" and start the journey into the depths of the universe that Samael so well knows how to articulate.