Satanic Warmaster
Carelian Satanist Madness

With "Carelian Satanist Madness," Satanic Warmaster reaches their third full-length album in a career that began years ago in the town of Lappeenranta (hard to decipher, NDA) located in Finland, a country as cold as the soul of Lord Tyrant Werewolf aka Nazgul (another name hard to decipher, NDA), who is the mind and the executor of every track on the album.

A great return by the group after years of waiting in which Lord Tyrant participated in various projects with numerous groups of his own creation or through collaborations, always within the realm of Black Metal. As I was saying, a great return because while it may not surprise that we are faced with a classic "old style" black metal of high tradition, which they have always played, the positive change in their way of playing it is surprising.

First of all, they eliminated the small but annoying errors of the first recordings, the songwriting, evolving, gives new strength and energy to all the compositions, and technically speaking, the band reaches a remarkable level of completeness. The riffs, while maintaining a dirty and impure sound, are varied and always "new," allowing a better understanding of each track, which still retains the typical tones of the past that had earned them appreciation even though the technical level was minimal; it is important to note that this was not due to a "poverty" regarding ideas for realization but rather a successful choice now replaced by the pleasant new elements listed.

The songs are thus rendered even more rich with emotions and sensations, improving not only the instrumental part but also the content of each lyric. The atmosphere changes decisively, the chill, the cold, the measured fury that seemed to keep Tyrant away from the listener disappears, delighting us with a more mystical, almost oriental atmosphere, yet the Nordic and Finnish origins of the band remain evident.
A fairly obvious comparison is with the recent Horna, but in my opinion, Satanic Warmaster possesses even more peculiar and distinct characteristics. A CD that moves from slow, hypnotic melodies to decisive marches of pure malice, hence the judgment of completeness and variety that the group deserves.

It starts with "The Vampiric Tyrant," which encapsulates the northern folklore with its stories of vampires and dark satanic nights, also using a peculiar sound that evokes the characteristic soul of Finland. It continues with the Title-track, a mix of hypnosis and anguish, and an homage to darkness "True Blackness", both featuring central riffs suspended in other dimensions and so malicious they touch the threshold of evil and fear.
Next comes "My Dreams Of 8," a dreamlike song that brings us tragic and destructive visions with a riff bordering on arrogance for its execution, simplicity, and effectiveness. Then a series of expressions containing hymns to evil made of violence and rituality, represented by "Eaten By Rats", "666", "My Kingdom", fast, cruel, cold, and dark tracks that contrast with the calmer and more "dreamy" first part.

To conclude the album in a decidedly perfect way, there's "Blessed Be The Grim Arts", for which no lyrics are provided, six minutes of rituality and a return to the previous dreamlike atmosphere realized with the organ, the dignified death of a magnificent work that gives further refinement to the band and marks the return of a great figure in the Black Metal scene: Lord Tyrant Werewolf aka Nazgul. A phrase is repeated and remembered in the internal pages of the booklet:
"...When the fullmoon shines... the werewolf strikes... " reminding us of the folkloric and malevolent nature of this album; "...Blessed Be The Arts of Evil..." is written, leaving it up to each of us to choose whether to side with them or against them.