ALBUM REVIEW: Cruel Magic – Satan
SATAN is a NWOBHM band with a bit of an odd history and a host of name changes along the way, never quite “made it” from the movement. However a 2011 reunion and the two well-received albums since then show that the band had more life in it than was shown at the time. Cruel Magic is their third album since the reformation and bears many of the hallmarks of its two predecessors with the same members, producers and album artist.
Immediately it’s clear that there aren’t going to be any stylistic differences on show here either. Album opener Into the Mouth of Eternity sounds like it wouldn’t have been out of place on one of the faster more abrasive NWOBHM records that inspired the thrash explosion, thanks to its fast parts encouraging movement. Cruel Magic, the album’s title track, is similar as it also sounds like it might want to be played a little faster. It features some brilliant solo and lead play but a lack of urgency on both of these tracks means the album gets off to a slow and stuttered start.
The Doomsday Clock features no such worries and speeds through its just under four minutes run time in what feels like half that. Yet more incredible riffs drive it ever onwards and it’s sure to become a live favourite in no time. This pace continues into Legion Hellbound, about Operation Overlord, which only varies it up with a sing along section in the middle of the track while Ophidian is a mid-paced swaggering song that will get heads nodding along.
A drumbeat heralds the arrival of My Prophetic Soul and a one-two punch of the best songs on the record. Fast paced and with enough of that older rock and roll spirit that inhabited traditional heavy metal, it is sure to please fans of the genre immensely. However it’s almost immediately one upped by the next track, Death Kneel for a King, with catchy, sing along choruses as well as the best put together lyrics on the record. It shows SATAN at their best with their fast paced brand of traditional metal and their focus on good riffs and catchy songwriting.
Who Among Us is an unremarkable mid-paced track that suffers from being the longest of the songs on offer here and feels slightly drawn out as a result. Not bad by any means, just unimpressive from a band that already done better on this record. Luckily Ghosts of Monongah ramps the speed back up with a surprisingly upbeat track about the mining disaster. While the majority of the slightly longer tracks on here felt like they could have been cut down, SATAN utilise the space on this to show off their competent songwriting and it translates well. Mortality closes the album off much as it begun with a track ripped straight from the 80s which builds to an impressive finish.
SATAN are a masterclass in how to do a reunion properly. Original lineup from their classic album, impressive releases that more than stand up to that classic, no retro gimmick, just good balls-to-the-wall heavy metal. While Cruel Magic might not quite reach the heights its two predecessors did, it’s a more than worthy addition to a band as legendary as SATAN’s catalogue.
Rating: 8/10
Cruel Magic is out now via Metal Blade Records.
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