2019 Digipak CD reissue with BLUTRACHE 1999 demo "Marsch zu neuen Zeitaltern" as bonus.
Tracks 9 and 13 are unlisted.
Straight out of the depths of Finland, the very controversial Satanic Warmaster has blasted the ears of many black metal fanatics including myself with some of the most frost-bitten, cold, and evil black metal this genre has to offer. Formed around 1998, the sole original member and the only member of the band left Larui (aka Werwolf as I’ll refer to him from now on) has been relentlessly putting out music for this band and other projects for the past 25 years. They along with Goatmoon, Horna, Sargeist, and Behexen are at the forefront/ the leaders of the Finnish black metal scene. This debut album in particular is a major reason why this band continues to face harsh controversy, mostly due to this album’s lyrical content leaning toward National Socialism (your opinions on these types of lyrics are up for you to decide), but personally, Satanic Warmaster isn’t a straight up NSBM band to me. Yes, they have some questionable song titles and lyrics, but overall that’s not their main topic. But enough with that bullshit and on to the music.
This album is easily one of their rawest albums to date, filled with simplistic drum beats and sections. Blast beats are a staple on here, 85% of the time they blast away with the fast tremolo riffage. Also containing raw necro guitar riffs that’ll pound your skull into oblivion, but the riffs are hooky and catchy which makes them easily memorable. Werwolf's vocals are especially harsh and In your face throughout the entire record, they have this very howling effect on them that makes Werwolf's vocals so cold and grim. When it comes to songwriting it’s a very simplistic and minimalistic album, yet it’s executed so well and written in such a catchy way that the music sticks with you. The music is just so foul and aggressive, the primal energy on this album is top-notch. Synthesizers are used on this album too, mainly when the music takes a slow or mid-paced turn, there’s also surprisingly a lot of melody at times, especially with the melodic riffs being played alongside the synthesizers, adding to the ambiance. This album along with the sophomore album are the only albums to feature 2 members, Werwolf handling vocal, drums, and bass guitar duties, and Lord War Torech playing guitars.
“The Burning Eyes of the Werewolf” is a standout track within the album. Beginning with a very hooky mid-paced riff before immediately transitioning into the blast beats, a very Burzum-like section comes into play shortly afterward, the vocals on this track especially are harsh and abrasive. I can describe all of the songs In a very similar way, very cold, harsh, intense, and very memorable straight forward raw black metal. My favorite song is easily “Wolves of Blood and Iron”, a slow epic mid-paced number, with most of the characteristics you would associate with this album played at their absolute best. The slow-paced section of the song is the most memorable part of the whole album, the ambiance of the section is at its most captivating and prominent. The atmosphere is another thing worth mentioning, it has this old school second wave black metal charm while also keeping true to the Finnish black metal sound. You can definitely hear second-wave influences within the tremolos used frequently throughout most of this album's run time. There’s also a use of syncopation with the rhythms of the guitars and drums, with adds to the catchiness of the songs.
With 7 tracks and a run time of 41 minutes and 32 seconds, there’s no compromise, there’s nothing complex and flashy to see on this album. It’s balls to the wall, intense, cold raw black metal. This album is easily one of my favorites in Satanic Warmaster’s catalog, not a lot of bands hit it out of the park with their debut album. And Satanic Warmaster definitely did.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=I4u8-Y5u0C0
