Samael – Lux Mundi (Nuclear Blast/Season Of Mist, 2011)
“Samael (Hebrew: סמאל) (also Sammael) is an important archangel in Talmudic and post-Talmudic lore, a figure who is accuser, seducer and destroyer, and has been regarded as both good and evil. It is said that he was the guardian angel of Esau and a patron of the Roman empire. (taken from Wikipedia).” What the hell that means? I don’t give a shit, really. More importantly, Samael is the name of one of the most respected bands in the extreme metal style for the past 20 years. Albums like “Ceremony Of Opposites” and “Passage” established the band as one of the forerunners in the style. After several musical styles shifts, beginning with their early black metal roots up to their more industrial metal sound of the early and mid 2000’s, Samael always surprises the listener with every new album. Well, “Lux Mundi”, their new 2011 album, is no exception. After releasing a surprising Norwegian-styled symphonic black metal album with 2009’s “Above”, with “Lux Mundi” the band returned to the style that they’re mostly known for. “Above” was a great album, but it did not sounded like the typical Samael and having that in mind, I did not know what to expect on “Lux Mundi”.
“Lux Mundi” sounds very similar to their 90’s efforts like “Passage” and specially “Eternal”. Gone are the Rammstein-styled sound drumbeats, as this album is more focused on the atmospheric side of the band. The album is darker than all their post-“Eternal” efforts, and it features their classical mid-paced attack of their golden era. Another great thing is Vorph vocals, again returning to his singing style of the 90’s. And icing the cake are of course the great guitar riffs, presented at a perfect loudness level, you can hear them clearly, but they don’t interfere with the bombastic keyboards arrangements. I don’t know about you, but this is the Samael I worship. Album highlights? It’s very difficult to point at specific songs when you’re facing such a masterpiece, and since each song is linked to the whole album, separating them is almost impossible. But some songs that might be considered as highlights are album opener “Luxferre”, “Antigod”, “For A Thousand Years”, “The Shadow of The Sword”, “In Gold We Trust” and the album closer “The Truth Is Marching On”, a track that has a very fast pace for the most part, somewhat reminiscent of “Above”.
To sum it up, “Lux Mundi” will please the longtime fans that were somewhat in shock with “Above”. Don’t get me wrong, “Above” was a killer album, but like myself, there were plenty of fans that missed the bombastic arrangements and the slower passages. It’s still quite early in the year, but “Lux Mundi” has everything to be regarded as one of the best albums of 2011 at this year’s end. Sometimes you reach progression through regression, and with this album, Samael has prove this point magnificently.
HMT Rating: 8/10
Heavy Metal Thunder 