Reviews
S.A.T.A.N: Unfinished chapter of S.A.T.A.N's comment to reality
29/07/10 || Wooderson
Don’t let the band name fool you. If you’re thinking this is another death or black metal band where members look like they’ve been bathing in blood and are about to inseminate a goat’s head in their promotional pics, well… you’re wrong. Even though they hail from a country that could very well have the largest amount of death metal bands per capita in the fucking world, Poland’s S.A.T.A.N doesn’t play death metal. Not even a little bit. What they do create is some mighty fine, tight and aggressive grindcore with a few ounces of punk thrown in for good measure.
Something that took me by surprise was the fact that S.A.T.A.N is actually a duo. Yup, two members. I’m sure for some of you will be turned off by this and I have to admit, I was at first too. I mean, how the hell can a band be any decent with only having two members, right? Well, it works for them in a big way. Sure, having a bit more bottom end supplied by a bassist would make things heavier but don’t think for a second that anything here sounds weak or thin. If anything, the lack of a bassist assists in producing a raw, sharp and lethal sound.
As the majority of the songs are under the minute-thirty mark, it’s S.A.T.A.N’s goal to get their point across in as little as time as possible. The riffs sound pissed off and as frantic as they are, they also throw in some interesting discordant aspects in a few songs. A good example is “Patriotic Carcass Versus Incurable Idiosyncrasy” which reminds me something the almighty Union Of Uranus (a legendary punk/hardcore/metal band from Canada) would have produced.
The second half of S.A.T.A.N is of course responsible for being the backbone of the band. And yes, the drumming is fucking solid, no doubt about that at all. A relentless and intense performance most likely blessed by the Antichrist himself is what you get here. The blastbeats come across tighter than the anal sphincter on a homophobe and that my friends, has to be pretty damn tight.
Both members are credited with doing vocals, however, I’m not positive if one is backup and one leads or if they trade off. Now before you say that must mean the vocals suck you can just fuck off now. I remember when “Obscura” came out and everyone thought it was Luc Lemay singing every track but I believe it was Steve Hurdle who did the majority of the vocals. Interchangeable vocals isn’t a bad thing especially when it’s of the tortured variety. Good shit!
So it looks like Poland has another popular export besides death metal, kielbasa and Pope John Paul II. High quality grindcore! Along with fellow countrymen, Antigama, Third Degree, Squash Bowels and probably a shitload more that I can’t think of at the moment, S.A.T.A.N does their part to solidify Poland as contenders for the grindcore title.
- Information
- Released: 2007
- Label: Zaraza Production
- Website: S.A.T.A.N MySpace
- Band
- Bulimic Speed Saw: guitar, vocals
- Anorectic Massacre: drums, vocals
- Tracklist
- 01. Intro
- 02. One More Time
- 03. Head, You Fucker
- 04. For A Soon Heart Attack Of All Fucked Up Brainheads We Ask You Lord
- 05. S.P.P.B.
- 06. Beny Hill XVI Will Also Bite The Dust
- 07. Not Very Insightful Conclusions
- 08. One More Time [Part II]
- 09. Patriotic Carcass Versus Incurable Idiosyncrasy
- 10. Right To Choice Equals Right To Critique
- 11. Geoghan’s Syndrome
- 12. S.A.T.A.N Manifesto
- 13. S.A.T.A.N’s Prayer
