Satan’s Host “Burning the Born Again”

I first learned of this band back in 1996 through tape trading. I friend was really interested in Einherjer’s, Dragon’s Of The North, but had nothing of interest to me so I let him choose something. He made me a tape of Jag Panzer’s Dissident Alliance and being a Jag Panzer fan, on the flip side he put Satan’s Host’s Metal From Hell. I must say that Jag Panzer was total crap, easily one of the worst albums I had heard up to that point and Satan’s Host was even worse. The tape went into a box never to be thought of again until I got the promo for Burning The Born Again and read the press release. I actually dug out the tape and cringed as I listened to the wailing vocals with the really bad Rob Halford imitation on high notes.

Immediately the best news about Satan’s Host was a different vocalist. This is a reissue of a 2004 release, initially released on a label called Black Magic with 10 tracks. The reissue has 15 tracks but no more songs. The additional tracks are various interludes. This is supposed to be 80’s thrash revival of mammoth proportions. On first listen I would say this is a good entry point into extreme metal for fans from traditional metal, or older fans that could never handle King Diamond’s vocals looking for a bit of nostalgia for the old Mercyful Fate style with lots of solos. Two quick points on the new vocalist, he growls quite monotonously, and he never growls over solos. This is a poor man’s retro band. Imagine a Pantera fan that never heard Kreator or a Sepultura fan that never heard Possessed of for that matter a Cradle of Filth fan that never heard Mercyful Fate, those are the fans that would appreciate this disc.

Take early thrash, death and black influences filtered through second generation mediocre bands and you’ve got an idea of the quality of Satan’s Host. The solos are quite simple, the blastbeat driven stuff is just uninteresting and the vocalist just does not understand that you do not need to roar for five minutes out of a five and a half minute song. One of the interludes proclaims, “I am despair in the hearts of men.” The despair comes from recognition of sheer mediocrity pressed to plastic. “Crypt” is one of the attempts at an atmospheric interlude and it falls flat, and the whole album is a bit overdone with the evil voice intros. “A Darkmoon Gathering” is a slower song with good rhythm and the simple solos are effective and the vocals achieve some Mille Petrozza moments. This band is better the slower they play but they seem to think fast means intense. The best song is “The Unholy Sabbath” which, not surprisingly clearly brings to mind classic Black Sabbath, which is pretty cool, with nice pacing and good solos for the entire song.

If the entire album was like this it would be a keeper, but there are too many filler songs, like “Satanic Magisterium”, the backing chorus does not save it and the guitar is much too repetitive. It drags on much too long. By the time of the shrill guitar leads at the end I have long since given up on it. Even with points for the title, this album barely gets a C-.

Grimulfr

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