Satan's Soldiers Syndicate

Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate (2007) is the sixth full-length studio album from German black/thrashers Desaster. It’s their third album with Sataniac on vocals and the immediate successor to 2005’s Angelwhore, which happened to be the odd album in the band’s discography, with more extreme sound and vocal approach and slower than usual music. Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate is its opposite in this respect – it contains almost exclusively ultra-fast tunes and as a result, the whole album clocks around 37 minutes – that’s a whopping 15 minutes less than Angelwhore. It seems that either the band saw the fifth album as a failed experiment or Infernal & Co. simply wanted to make a no-surprises record this time.

The jewel case CD version I own houses a booklet which folds out into a cross shape. Inverted cross, of course… Nice touch, but it all comes down to the music: is it good and how does it rate in relation to the controversial Angelwhore? Let’s take a look then. The instrumental intro has been composed and performed by the one and only Proscriptor McGovern of Absu fame, a cult American black metal band from Texas. It’s followed by the album’s first proper song – the title track. One instantly notices the change in sound which is clearer, sharper and packs more punch then the distorted and blurred production of Angelwhore. Also Sataniac’s vocals are more ‘normal’, i.e. less garbled than his growls on the previous album. The song is very fast and straightforward, in Impaled Nazarene style. There are some slowdowns which serve as breathers, but overall it’s back to business as usual in the Desaster camp. Was it really so hard, guys?

Most of the album follows this pattern: songs vary from fast to breakneck (with minor exceptions I shall discuss later) and offer clean (for a black/thrash band) sound which, in my opinion, has a better impact than the muffled production of Angelwhore. As a matter of fact, the producer of the previous album (Angel of Doom) has been replaced by Harry Wijering, although the former would later return to mix and master Desaster’s later albums. However, the band must have decided that for the making of Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate some changes needed to be done and I salute them for making the RIGHT choice! Speaking of the remainder of the album, I have zero complaints about individual tracks, although there are, of course, variations in quality. Songs that hit the nail on the head include “Angel Extermination” with lots of melodic riffing (reminiscent of Alexi Laiho’s contribution to Impaled Nazarene’s Nihil album) and a nicely crafted bridge followed by a furious guitar solo as well as Motorhead-inspired “Venomous Stench” which could actually be viewed as a rock n’ roll song (!) if provided with a different arrangement (and of course a different vocal delivery). This tune reminds me of another Finnish band, Sentenced, especially of the music they made during their tenure with Taneli Jarva on vocals (the more rocking songs off Amok album or Love & Death EP), or the whole of The Black League catalog (a band Jarva went on to create following his departure from Sentenced).

The middle part of the album contains a few songs which are all fast and hard-hitting, but rate slightly lower in my book. An exception to this rule is “Tyrannizer”, a slower song which owes a lot to Black Sabbath in the majestic, doomy beginning. It is the most diversified track on Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate, containing guest vocal appearances from Proscriptor (who delivers first black metal shrieks on a Desaster album since Okkulto’s – Desaster’s first vocalist – departure) and A. A. Nemtheanga from Primordial, who provides a clean vocal invocation later in the course of this beautiful, epic song. Less splendid, but still worth high notes is the album’s closer, “More Corpses for the Grave”, a medium-paced crawler throughout most of its duration ending in an instrumental outro.

Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate marks a return to form for Desaster after a minor flop that was Angelwhore. It is a perfect album to get acquainted with the band – I suggest if you aren’t familiar with Desaster, grab this record first – it showcases their qualities at its best, but is also as rudimentary, uncomplicated and coherent as it gets. Viewed through the context of the band’s earlier albums, it doesn’t top their best releases (Tyrants of the Netherworld and Divine Blasphemies), but Desaster would manage to top it in near future.

Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate (This is the most metal album title ever) is Desaster’s sixth studio album and third with Sataniac singing or better spitting hate and poisonous spells. The Teutonic black/thrash attack is relentless as always, don’t expect experimentation or changes in Desaster’s sound. At this point, these Germans are a reference in the subgenre and defend the flag of underground metal with tooth and nail, PLAY THIS ALBUM AT MAXIMUM VOLUME!

The album starts with a short Intro (The march of fire and conquest). It is atmospheric, creates anticipation, a sense of triumph somewhat like an epic feeling that prepares the listener for the carnage to come. The structure of this record goes like this. At the beginning and the end, you have the violent and aggressive songs full of intensity and stamina. Catchy guitar hooks a la German thrash style and relentless drumming with on-time executions. Desaster takes no prisoners there is only leather, battle vests, and beers in the air. For instance; the self-titled track, Angel Extermination, Razor Ritual, and Venomous Stench. In the middle, you can find tracks with more atmosphere and a slow tempo mood. For example, Fate forever Flesh, Vile we Dwell, and Tyrannizer. The tracklist is consistent and integrates all the feelings and moods of the album coherently, the record flows smooth and that makes you spin it several times in a row.

The album is the perfect blend of black and thrash metal styles, the best of both worlds. On one hand, the guitar department checks all the boxes of thrash/black riffs and solos. The ax has no secrets or mysteries for Infernal, he has accomplished an out-of-this-world guitar skill; he masters all the crafts, and conjurations of his instrument. On the other hand, Sataniac sings his guts out, the cadence is fast and it feels like he is more settled in the band as frontman by now. When the band goes full speed, he spits hate in the lyrics. However, when the slow tempos come, he adjusts his cadence to sound more ominous. Lyrics deal with hate, war, blasphemy, and Satan. So, don´t expect poetry or philosophy bullshit. The album as a whole is flawless but if you ask me about my favorite tracks, I would say that Angel Extermination, More Corpses for the Grave, and Tyrannizer are highlights.

In general, the music feels evil, dark, violent, relentless, and uncompromised with any political or philosophical ideal. Desaster does not have bad records it is just a personal taste; you tend to like one more than the others. Any record from their catalog is worth listening to and will not disappoint. The band has consistently demonstrated through their career that they are masters in the art of creating bloodthirsty dark anthems for the true Hellbangers and this record is no exception. All killer no filler album. Not recommended for posers.

Two years after the release of the devastating "Angelwhore", Desaster returned with the here presented album. The multilayered songwriting scheme of "Angelwhore" was replaced again by their well-tried compositional pattern. Due to this more direct approach, the title track started the attack (after a redundant intro) in an explosive manner. The brutal voice of Sataniac sounded like a machine gun while he pressed the maximum number of words in every line of the rabid verses. The figurative lyrics ("if you walk the water, we will walk the fire") emphasized the rawness of the purposeful track. Sataniac´s bandmates really packed a tough punch, too. As a result, the song marked a fantastic opener. But at the same time it overshadowed everything else. It took me some time and several passes to identify further neckbreaking pieces. However, I was successful at the end.

Of course, it came as no surprise that Desaster were able to deliver more terrific tracks. The powerful production was beyond doubt. Therefore, one could fully focus on the quality of the songs themselves. It became apparent that the band was passionate about its work while avoiding mediocre fillers successfully. Nevertheless, some of the songs were significantly better than the rest. The reason for this was that they created an outstanding intensity which could not be reached by the other pieces. For instance, "Hellbangers" rushed forward while offering a gripping guitar line, an insistent chorus and a massive dose of belligerence. Looking back, I wonder why I did not immediately realise the great potential of that musical weapon. The same went for the following overwhelming tune. The almost breathtaking "Fate Forever Flesh" fascinates with its rasping high velocity riffs that contrast with the perfectly flowing instrumental part after the verse. Despite the aggression of these two killer tracks, the band proved once more that it had a keen sense for the adequate amount of melodies.

The remaining tracks left their traces because of the well executed interplay of contemporary harshness and traditional elements. Old school breaks - for example, listen to "Angel Extermination" at 2.05 - pepped up the effective and violent songwriting approach. The same applied to the anthemic part of "Tyrannizer", not at least because of its guest vocals that offered a welcome change. In summary, Desaster confirmed their position as Germany´s leading black thrash horde. The well established team worked flawlessly and the songwriting was still simply exciting, although the typical medieval parts were on the retreat. Nevertheless, the band´s performance was convincing from start to finish.

Having discovered the mighty Desaster only very recently, I must say that rarely have I heard a band that epitomizes the true spirit of heavy metal more fully than these German hellraisers. After toiling along in relative obscurity for much of the nineties, it seems like their career has picked up some steam in the last decade or so, and with good reason: Desaster are one of those bands that, whenever someone tells you how much they are into metal and how they dig Killswitch Engage, compel you to spin one of their records at maximum volume while yelling, “That ain’t metal, dude. BAM! Now THIS is metal!”

In a narrower sense, of course, Desaster are not a pure/traditional heavy metal band in the vein of Priest or Maiden, but play a faster, heavier, more extreme style of metal: blackened thrash is the name of the game, and what a lethal combination it is! This is a lot like early Sodom, Destruction, Kreator or Slayer (in their “Show No Mercy”/“Haunting the Chapel”/“Hell Awaits” phase), blended with older Venom or Bathory and even some second-wave black metal, which shows in shouter Sataniac’s hoarse vocal delivery and particularly the frequent use of tremolo picking in the guitar and blast beats in the drum department. Then again, a song like “Hellbangers”, apparently dedicated to the guys’ local metal fan club, shows very clearly, both in terms of lyrics and the actual music, that Desaster wear their metal hearts (and roots) on their sleeves.

Whereas some tracks like “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate”, “Fate Forever Flesh” or “Vile We Dwell” are pretty much pure black metal, others are trademark Teutonic thrash with some additional black metal elements thrown in. But there’s more: in “Tyrannizer”, the album’s longest tune at roughly five-and-a-half minutes, the band even recorded an epic-sounding track featuring some clean vocals courtesy of A.A. Nemtheanga, lead singer of Irish dark/epic/folk metallers Primordial. Another track worth pointing out would be “Venomous Stench”, which adds some raucous rock ‘n’ roll to the mix and, in all its thrash ‘n’ roll glory, is not unlike something that Swedish brothers in arms The Crown could have come up with.

There’s an aura of sheer authenticity and a workmanlike approach about this band that simply commands respect and makes you want to like them, whether black metal or blackened thrash is precisely your cup of tea or not. Perfectly competent – not virtuosic, but that’s hardly needed – musical delivery, convincing and surprisingly varied songs, which are carried by hellish riff infernos and laden with memorable moments, coupled with a very fitting and, again, authentic production neither too modern nor too “vintage”, combine to make for an excellent record that’s highly recommendable and surprisingly addictive. Basically the only minor gripe I have with this album is that at just over 37 minutes, it’s somewhat on the short side, but I guess that’s easily forgivable considering you’ll likely find yourself listening to this gem multiple times a day anyway …

Choicest cuts: “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate”, “Angel Extermination”, “Fate Forever Flesh”, “Vile We Dwell”

One of my favorite scenes in the Jackass movie occurs when Johnny Knoxville finds himself randomly covered in a huge tank of water from out of nowhere. Throughout “Satan’s Soldiers Syndicate,” we are given Knoxville’s little experiment, except he represents death metal, and that massive flood acts like a boatload of good, hardy musicianship rushing at your face with sheer brutality. Knocking aside silly language, Desaster rightfully kicks your ass with their sixth full-length effort, as it frequently provides everything a death metal release should exercise, and then some. Case in point, our pitch-black dominator practices fierce darkness layered over a march of tanks squashing anything in its damning way, and you can bet twenty years of experience shows itself rather congenially during this all-expenses-paid trip to Satan’s burning throne.

There are times when only pounding furiousness featuring sharp riffs, complex percussion, torturing growls, and blitzing solos can quench your thirst; Desaster can easily make that dream come true. The common factor equally balances these primitive attributes while acting dangerously tight, especially deciphering how heavy this CD looks on a variety of colors. Everything is pretty impressive overall, but the riffs are just fantastic, even despite not trending into original waters. I mean it’s all just typical death/thrash riffs any group could easily pull out, yet each and every flick of the string appears powerful, dynamic, intelligent, and very down-to-earth. Nothing over-the-top overall; just solid death metal chaotically pulverizing your feeble anus.

Now considering this is basically a death metal release that doesn't attempt anything new, "Satan's Soldiers Syndicate" still works within itself from several consistencies acting like white blood cells during infections: if it looks bad, it won't come out alive. Sataniac’s vocals, for instance, certainly aren’t individualistic, but he does all sorts of vocal techniques (wailing, shrieking) in strange intervals quite unlike other vocalists of his niche, and just doing those simple things on occasion works flawlessly when the day ends. Desaster’s sixth offering naturally has its ability to firmly pop out enjoyable death metal while avoiding dullness entirely, and there isn’t a single moment of anything boring. Satan is indeed proud.

"Satan's Soldiers Syndicate" marks nearly two decades since Desaster emerged from Lucifer's home, and with all those years gone, they can still reload fantastic instrumentation like it was nothing; a true-to-its-roots record that doesn't stop kicking ass. Thing is, there's absolutely no way anyone would find this remarkably original, yet Desaster can perform their basic sound by simply sucking all that sweetness away from those generic hordes looking to survive on death metal’s hives, and that's the real genius overall. Don't expect a revolution, but do prepare for death metal that won't show any mercy on your paper-thin abdomen, like any extreme effort should.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Desaster is a classic black/thrash band that have been putting out quality metal for awhile now. Their last effort was sort of a slump and while not bad, kinda bored me. So I was skeptical about Satan's Soldiers Syndicate, but damn I was surprised at how much ass this kicks. Basically everything you would look for in this type of metal is here. It's got the breakneck tempos, the brutal vocals, killer solos, it's just a straight foward assault.

The album starts off really strong with the title track after an ambient intro. The song jumps right in with classic Jeff Becerra style vocals and punishing riffs. Angel Extermination is next and has a nice sense of tempo change, while still beating you senseless. Razor Ritual is the best song on here and really does nothing wrong. The rest of the album follows in a similar fashion, fast, brutal thrash with hints of death and black metal thrown in.

Satan's Soldiers Syndicate is easily one of my favorite albums of the year. This is what thrash should sound like.

Blackened Thrashing Hell!!!

Well, with this release Desaster has officially broken out of the slump of their last two full length releases. Not that they were "horrible" per say... but they lacked the epic leanings and black metal riff lashings of earlier releases. Well if you missed those elements of Desaster, look no further! They are back, perhaps not quite on par with Touch of Medieval Darkness, Hellfire's Dominion or Tyrants of the Netherworld, but this is very much in keeping with the sound we know and love from Desaster. Sataniac is not Okkulto, but he does have a commanding vocal style; and while this reviewer prefers Okkulto I do happen to acknowledge that Sataniac does a great job within his style and fits very well with the music. The guest performances here are not superflous and do enhance the experience of this album. Nemtheanga from Primordial is always a great addition to the song Tyrannizer, as his passionate style should rouse any listener out of their slumber; as well as the layering with Proscriptor in the song, also adds flavour to one of the exceptional stand out tracks. All in all a very strong album and one of my favourites this year.