Samael
Reign Of Light

THE REVIEW

Outside the box, brilliant, electronic, vibrant, powerful, "Reign Of Light" is the latest offering from the Swiss band Samael, a natural evolution of their unique sound.

Let's dive into a bit of history. Founded in 1990 and devoted to Black Metal from the very beginning, they made a name for themselves with their slowed-down, ceremonial sound and consistently brilliant songwriting that never felt trite, as evidenced in albums like "Worship Him" and "Ceremony Of Opposites". The real turning point came in 1996 with the release of the surprising "Passage". Among the first in the genre, they incorporated a drum machine and adopted a massively electronic, icy, strikingly distant sound, continuing this approach with the equally exceptional "Eternal".

"Reign Of Light" is a surprise. Samael abandons the coldness and sidereal distances to unveil a terrifying, warm, and wild record.
The opener "Moongate", with its percussions, overloaded guitars, and the Sitar (yes, a Sitar), unleashes a spectacular, almost tribal groove. There's no point in a track-by-track analysis: "Reign Of Light" is an extremely peculiar album, where each track has its own clear personality, from the almost dance rhythms of "On Earth" to the oriental-influenced "Heliopolis" up to the solemn concluding "Door To Celestial Peace", taking us by the hand and guiding us through an enlightened and enlightening universe.
A separate mention goes to the production. Powerful and crystalline, with sounds chosen with taste and discernment, the keyboards alternating between icy and enveloping, a warm and pulsating bass, the hoarse voice and its overdubs....

Reign Of Light.
"While our souls fly high above
our bodies play their favorite games
We climb, we climb towards the light"