Samael
Solar Soul

To buy an album from a band that is practically unknown and that you have never heard of, you have to be either very brave or very reckless. In this specific case, I can say I was too... reckless/foolish/repetitive. The fact is, once again, I squandered my money on a mediocre album that will inevitably serve as an original and stylish coaster.

The album in question is "Solar Soul" by the Swiss band Samael: the cover and song titles remind me a lot of a plastic disaster I've already dealt with: "Gothic Kabbalah" by Therion, and this should have suggested I leave it where it was, but my (masochistic) instinct couldn't resist the (perverse) allure of a potential dud, double dud and counter-dud, and so I bought it. By halfway through the first listen, I started biting my nails and gnashing my teeth over the poor investment.

Let's set things straight: not everything in this album is to be thrown away; the style is perhaps the most interesting and original part: a sort of industrial that's rather slow and filled with electronic beats, which blend with symphonic elements adding an epic and solemn touch, and the fusion of these different styles produces a sound that is completely new to my ears and leaves me pleasantly intrigued, also because the first track, the title track "Solar Soul" is a good song, somewhere between Manowar's "Gods Of War" and some early Rammstein in electronics, all softened and sung... in growl, which already leaves me a bit stunned. Starting with the second song, "Promised Land", you start to smell something fishy: the style is practically identical to the previous one, perhaps a bit less epic, but the chorus is very catchy and well-done, and it elevates the fate of the track. As far as I'm concerned, the album could easily end here because the remaining 10 songs are uniquely flat and boring: the style is practically the same, without the slightest variation on the theme, except for the oriental-flavored "Quasar Waves", which is still forgettable, and "Valkyries' New Ride", which vainly tries to mimic Rammstein's "Zwitter". Also dismissed without appeal are the vocals; a boring and monotonous growl like the hum of a vacuum cleaner that makes everything even more depressing (perhaps with an expressive and melodic singer "Solar Soul" would have been at least a decent album) and the lyrics, a senseless jumble of futuristic/science-fiction/mythological/decadent elements.

"Solar Soul" demonstrates how a particular sound and refined lyrics are shallow if they lack that verve and impetus that are the basis of every good metal album; for this reason, I firmly believe that all these alternative/occult/experimental bands are not worth even a thousandth of the career of the much-snubbed Iron Maiden who, by staying true to their metallic creed and modifying their style from time to time without overdoing it, have managed to create a repertoire of inestimable value capable of combining all types of themes with the magical energy of metal. Returning to the subject of my review, I do not express a judgment on the band, as my knowledge of them is rather limited, but I am more than willing to express it on the product: a pretentious, boring, useless, specious, and mediocre album. SCORE 4.5/10