Samael "Blood Ritual" (Century Media 1992)

Lado A
1. Epilogue 00:39  
2. Beyond the Nothingness 04:31  
3. Poison Infiltration 03:57
4. After the Sepulture 04:35  
5. Macabre Operetta 06:41  
6. Blood Ritual 03:24  
7. Since the Creation... 00:34
8. With the Gleam of the Torches 06:25
9. Total Consecration 02:40  
10. Bestial Devotion 04:49  
11. ...Until the Chaos 03:25

I'm not sure when brutality became synonymous with complexity in metal, but it is a mentality with which I never really agreed. When you say "brutal" people think of technicality, or of speed and precision. People think of Cryptopsy, or Gorguts, or of Cephalotripsy and the slamming ilk. But, I'm not sure I've ever really felt "brutality" from those that sound like that - efficiency, fear, monstrous, awesome, maybe - but not entirely brutality. These bands are like sniper rifles and assault rifles - maintained, cold in their precision, and take time to master and use properly. So, while they may be the deadliest tools, the word brutality doesn't immediately come to mind. When I think of brutality, I think of barbarous tools. Those that are always deceptively effective - simple in presentation and purpose, but efficient for killing: spikes, clubs, axes, saw teeth. Simple shapes meant to be used by anyone who can wield them and with the intent to inflict some damage. This is exactly the type of music Samael made in their early days. 

With few synths, a small intro, and an incredible focus on guitars, it's a straight forward, gloomy, and meandering album. It's filled with "go nowhere" riffs, a shallow, hollow production, and very few tempo changes besides going from slow to slower to slightly less slow. Most of the songs riffs sound eerily similar, with more of a focus on atmosphere than actual song-writing - and the doom elements more or less consist of classic heavy metal riffs and drum fills, with little variation between one song or another. But once you can get past the monotony, the simplistic accents make themselves noticed and add a ton to the album, and actually force the listener to focus less of the parts and more on the whole. 

"With the Gleam of the Torches" is a galloping, almost fun ride through the caverns, with twisting and turning riffs, drums alternating between standard blasts and rocking beats to hi-hat and cymbal accents - the whole thing is reminiscent of being taken away by some ancient crypt-keeper, explaining ancient secrets as his blue flame fills the catacombs with an otherworldy hue. The title track is crushing, starting with a classic guitar rip worthy of early Hellhammer (which, unsurprisingly is obviously the most influential band on Samael at the time) followed by a fury of blasting and power chords and accompanied howls. It moves effortlessly between the two tempos, creating a tense effect of ritual and sacrifice. The most famous after "After the Sepulcture" is brutality incarnate - a crushing, draining riff that moves like some titanic subterranean behemoth - with a serpentine riff and lead guitar that effortlessly shifts from one melody to another, never losing its poisonous effect, before exploding back into the main riff. 

Most of the songs alternate between these formulas, slow and crushing, slight blasting variation and a really deep focus on keeping the listener guessing on what strange twists might be thrown at them later. "Bestial Devotion" has oddly placed major chords among the atonal sounds of the main riff, and a really odd amount of technicality for the album. The closer "...until The Chaos" is a downward spiral of a song with riffs that resemble early Candlemass, but with less melodic leads, and an utterly awesome bass-line that picks up just the right amount of time into the song. If you don't head bang during the last half of the song, you're not listening properly. 

I can definitely see the complaints with this album - it is really slow, a lot of the songs sound almost identical upon first listen, the tone is really kinda of hollow and may be too mono for some and the drums are incredibly active considering how simplistic everything else is. Seriously, Xy has a fill every few seconds on some songs it seems - and this can break up a perfectly good headbanging moment. But, I do think that the rather informal and aggressive drumming makes this album more unique and ritualistic than others playing this style of black metal at the time. The focus on the rhythm and drums definitely makes is feel more sinister somehow, maybe it's the link between primal instinct and drumming, or maybe it's just a predecessor for his leadership later in the group. Either way, Blood Ritual should be a mandatory listen. In all its simple, direct brutality, it never manages to cease being an engrossing and deceptively demanding.

Links for this album.