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One of the greatest statement in the Finnish black metal genre - 95%

VergerusTheSargonian, March 23rd, 2024

Nazgul, formerly of Horna's fame, also known as Werwolf, is one of the most prolific musicians in the whole black metal environment and one of the most prominent exponents in the Finnish black metal scene; along with Sargeist, the other branch spawned from Horna by the will of guitarist Shatraug, he is responsible for what is nowadays considered Finnish black metal style. This is a way of composing, playing, and producing music that stands on its own: strictly speaking, it is a bare-bone, minimalistic, raw, and dirty approach to black metal, but very melodic and epic in a very peculiar fashion. Black metal, differently from pure death metal, always retains some sort of melodic phrasing, even if in a very simple and repetitive fashion. This is clear in the Norwegian style but also, and even more evident, in the Hellenic and Swedish ones. As I often say, black metal is still the same everywhere, but the interpretations may vary significantly from one scene to another.

Finnish black metal is so melodic in nature that it can dare to embrace a very lo-fi, harsh kind of production: the phrasings are so well written, while still simple and straight-forward, that they always "shine" throughout the noisy wall of sound. This style has become so popular in recent days that even bands outside the borders of Finland are jumping onboard, like German Sarkrista, Totenwache, or Slagmark, Greek Lunar Spells, or Italian Morcolac. Satanic Warmaster, the main project from Werwolf, forged this style around 2000, and we are speaking about a quite controversial artist on his own: I'm not here to stress the ideologies behind the music; I really don't care: the individual has his personal view of the world, and I have mine, and I'm not here to judge it; the topic is about the art made by the artist, not the personal choices and actions of the individual. I used to always be really into the music of, let's say, Graveland or Veles, but Rob Darken is an individual, and I am another one!

Thus said, along with "Opferblut," this is the best effort from Werwolf: the better, or worstly, better produced one in his discography and the last in his fully analogic era. The sound quality is comparable to a time-worn cassette, and it's a heartfelt homage to the times when you have your demo-tapes played so many times that the originally raw production was even harshened by analogic noise and loss of magnetic effectiveness. It's pure atmosphere and nostalgia, rendered with black metal music. Excellent riffs, recognizable melodies, epic, violent, and melancholic songs, and rageful screaming vocals—it's all here! A compact and coherent album: leaving aside the intro and the instrumental closing track, it's all about six wonderful songs; each one of them stands out on its own while being part of a cohesive whole. I truly like omogenuous albums with a wider scope throughout the tracks, not necessarily a lyrical and conceptual intertwinement. This release fulfills every requirement not only expected from a Finnish black metal record, but in general, as it displays a gloomy overall atmosphere!

Can't challenge the Carelian madness - 66%

Felix 1666, March 3rd, 2021
Written based on this version: 2010, CD, Werewolf Records

"Nachzehrer" is Finnish black metal. Is that enough of a description? No? Then here is the additional hint that Satanic Warmaster sound different from Quiet Riot or Mötley Crüe. More like Def Leppard on "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge". Nah, just kidding. To be honest, the album from 2010 is not one of the great moments of Finnish sound art. Among other things, that's because of the production. The guitars sound clunky to sticky, the drums have exactly zero power. The vicious creaking of the voice also only comes to the fore to a limited extent and suffers from the dominance of the dull, monotonous guitars.

Of course, true black metal has an inner strength that cannot be completely destroyed even by a bad recording result. In this respect it is nice that Satanic Warmaster come very close to the core of the genre on "Nachzehrer". The album consistently exudes negative energy. Well, the music-free intro is worthless filth, but the regular tracks basically give no reason to complain. Some almost melodic parts, such as at the end of "One Shining Star", set the tone, while "Rotting Raven's Blood" could have done with more momentum, especially at the beginning. But basically the guitars always find the right tone to maintain a certain tension. Only in the last piece they don't play a role. "Nachzehrer" ends with the ramblings of a storyteller, gently accompanied by ambient keyboard tones.

The bottom line, however, is that despite quite good tracks like "Satan's Werewolf", much of "Nachzehrer" sounds decent, but not outstanding. "Satan's Werewolf" offers a good mixture of rumbling primate black metal, a chorus that is striking in a positive sense and a relatively finely spun melody with violin character. Mostly, however, the lone fighter behind Satanic Warmaster feasts on less than filigree guitars, whose bluntness almost rivals the coarseness of Bathory’s second full-length.

Sometimes you also wish the songs would get to the point faster and only know the five or six minute mark by hearsay. Thus, "Nachzehrer" has a few lengths that are not conducive to the enjoyment of the album. Be that as it may: the record from 2010 offered nothing new and not the slightest deviation from the standards of black metal art. Instead, it explicitly emphasises the aesthetics of the genre and leaves a predominantly positive impression with tracks like "Warmaster Returns", which, however, as described above, is not supported by a punchy production. This results in an acceptable disc, which is by no means a must for friends of Finnish black metal. Especially since there are supposed to be a few other bands of this genre in the land of a thousand lakes. At least that's what I read somewhere, I think.

Raw, melodic, hooky - 82%

HviteGuden, May 27th, 2020

Satanic Warmaster represents a somewhat of stereotypical Finnish black metal sound. It's raw black metal with pronounced melodicism and a punk-ish / rock-n-roll-ish vibe. And the music of the project is pretty diverse in the sense, that sometimes it's more melodic, deep, sometimes it's more rolling, sometimes it's harsher and more sinister, resembling the first Werewolf's big band to play in - Horna. While rawness has been a joint feature for a long period of time for the project. All these things lead to a quite big popularity of Satanic Warmaster for a project rooted in a classical branch of black metal.

"Carelian Satanist Madness", released in 2005, became a very successful and representative for Satanic Warmaster. However, this formation is far from being a band of a single album, Satanic Warmaster continued to record interesting stuff afterwards. Werewolf decided to record "Nachzehrer" alone, handling all instruments, and eventually he presented a great follow-up to "Carelian Satanist Madness", a different one, but also a very interesting effort. So, "Nachzehrer" is a recognizable version of Satanic Warmaster. It's raw black metal written and recorded without some experiments.

However, all the magic of the music will work gradually here in contrast to the preceding "Carelian Satanist Madness", which started to strike with the first riffs. "Nachzehrer" opens with an instrumental intro, which is a noisy soundscape without anything special. The following triplet of compositions brings the trademark Satanic Warmaster style, but also doesn't sound extraordinary in terms of songwriting. These are decent tracks, but they are better to be listened to when you listen to the album fully. Nevertheless, this is only a beginning, a warm-up. A truly standout stuff begins on "One Shining Star". This composition shines indeed. The melodical aspect of it is remarkable, the main riff is a one of the most memorable in the oeuvre of Satanic Warmaster.

Further the music of "Nachzehrer" only continues to impress. "Bestial Darkness" contains very catchy riffing, thrashy and swinging. More or less same stuff can be said about "Rotting Raven's Blood". Its main riff is slower and even more spectacular, it is hooky with its thrashy abrupt style. It can also be easily listed among the most memorable riffs of Satanic Warmaster. Furthermore, its variations are mind-blowing as well, they go on until the fast culmination, after what the composition ends with the main riff. Thus, the album comes to its conclusion, which is also great. "Utug-Hul" is an epic piece of dungeon synth, which is accompanied by a bit naive, but triumphant spoken word. It's a kinda clumsy epicness, but that's why it's great.

So, "Nachzehrer" is a good album overall. It's slow-starting, but the further the music of it goes, the more interesting it becomes. All its main treasures are placed in the second half of it. Satanic Warmaster is still in prime conditions here and continues to demonstrate remarkable stuff in its distinctive style. Moreover, "Nachzehrer" will become the last full-length album of the project in this style, as on the following "Fimbulwinter" Werewolf will present an experiment with clean and polished sound.

Satanic Warmaster - Nachzehrer - 60%

Witchfvcker, April 24th, 2014

The Finnish multi-instrumentalist Lauri Penttilä, who usually goes by the name of Werwolf, is a somewhat strange figure. In addition to playing in numerous black metal bands and running his own record label, he fronts the heavy/glam metal band Armour, who have been featured on Finnish national TV. Internationally he is probably best known for being the sole member of underground black metal force Satanic Warmaster, who have gotten unwanted attention in the past due to some not so subtle flirtations with right wing-extremism. In kinder terms, Werwolf is a multifaceted artist who is no stranger to controversy. Satanic Warmaster latest album, Nachzehrer, was originally released in 2010, and is being reissued by Penttilä’s own Werewolf Records.

Besides the air of controversy, Satanic Warmaster-albums are usually revered for a primitive take on black metal. Simplistic yet memorable riffs are processed through a raw production to produce a barbaric but uniquely cold sound, best exemplified on the excellent preceding album Carelian Satanist Madness. Besides a large number of splits and EPs, Nachzehrer came out after a five year interval from the predecessor, to big expectations and some trepidation.

As expected, Nachzehrer is packed with grim riffs, atmospheric ambient pieces, and lyrics about werewolves, vampires, and ravens. Leave it to other bands to experiment, Satanic Warmaster is an institution that thrives on repeating themes. This penchant for reiteration isn't necessarily a bad thing, and fans of the band will find things to like about this album. On the other hand, whereas Carelian Satanist Madness built upon what came before in order to produce something better, Nachzehrer feels like a step in the wrong direction.

With the exception of the exceptional “One Shining Star”, these songs feel like they've all been surpassed on previous albums. The thrash metal riffing is often forgettable, and when it slows down on “Rotting Raven’s Blood” the atmosphere is lackluster. The closing ambient-piece “Utug-Hul” sounds like a retread of the intro to the 2005 compilation Black Metal Kommando. Instead of being over and beyond the raw black metal standard, Nachzehrer is simply adequate. Annoyingly, the multitude of splits that Satanic Warmaster have released since Carelian Satanist Madness include many examples of better crafted material.

If Nachzehrer was released by a debuting band, I would have considered it promising yet flawed. As a Satanic Warmaster-effort it’s a flat-out disappointment, and falls into the lower tiers of the band’s extensive discography. Hopefully the next album will see Werwolf return to form, and in the meantime this album is only recommended for insatiable fans.



Written for The Metal Observer

Satanic Warmaster - Nachzehrer - 15%

tortyr666, February 4th, 2012

There it is: the fifth full length of Satanic Warmaster. Five years and countless split releases in between, this album marked some kind of return of the band, which seems extremely odd to me, because the member(s) of the band have never dissapeared; always active with dozens of side-projects and the fitting basement-recordlabels to toss their stuff into the world, etc.. I was curious to check it out and got the lp, which comes in a good looking, yet basic sleeve with dito artwork.

The first track is an average one, it's got nothing unusual, the usual blastbeats and keyboards are there. If it set the mood for the album, we're in for unspectacular, yet entertaining metal. It has all the standards that also appeared on their previous album. In fact, it could have been on that album, since it follows the same recipe of taking a guitarriff from an other, known band, and building a new song around by adding one or two riffs. As I said, just like the previous (and all albums before that), unspectactular stuff, and not even worth the disc space to have the album in digital format, but entertaining enough to hear at a friends' place once per year. The following tracks are even less interesting, and when the record has flipped onto the other side, it just goes further downhill.

I've followed satanic warmaster since their first Von-clone that was their demotape. From there on, the band changed music and ideology quite a bit, to this new album "Nachzehrer". I'm playing this record now for the fifth time, just to get to know the feel of the album. Though this proved to be not necessary; it's that predictable, even the second time it's quite a task to stay focused! It's a typical play-once, "how many times have I heard that riff before", and-forget kind of album, as literally everything on the album has been done before - and much better I can add.

The riffs on this record mostly resemble the pre-SW band Pest, which was nothing more than a one-off Bathory clone. The songs have mostly a thrash metal / pop rock feel to them, for optimal "hum along" riffs, alternated with mid-tempo parts, to have at least some diversity on the album. Even the novice guitarist-type guitarsolos are there - you know what I mean, guitarist who can't actually play any solos and instead just hit random notes high on the neck whilst tremolopicking all high three strings together.

As on almost all modern black metal records, Vocal patterns are done really bad. There absolutely no sense of rhythm in the text placement. It's too bad noone does this really. The band seems to care about their lyrics; all the clichés are embarrasingly obvious there: werewolves, national socialism, nocturnal creatures, satanism, etc etc (though I will not even begin to question how ALL these themes can be used by one band, let alone on one album!), though they are totally misplaced over the music, so instead of creating some kind of atmosphere, it's just screamed over the music senselessly.

To me, this is exactly what is wrong with "black metal scene" from nowadays. A lot of big-mouthing, causing the band to get kicked off of multiple festivals, but I'm afraid to say this follows the satanic warmaster musical and ideological legacy by being an album without any substance. It's so standard, it's not even funny listening to it as an example for standard modern black metal.

Warmaster's Triumphant Return - 100%

GermanicusCaligula, August 30th, 2010

Few can do it better than Satanic Tyrant Werwolf. By "it", I mean creating the most intense and hate inducing(or producing), somber and dismal black metal warfare there is. And I know that's a mighty bold statement considering all the bands that now flood what once was a genre obscured. It seems with this album and other more recent releases from him that he is trying to uphold that tradition. Those who are familiar with Satanic Warmaster and the dynamics of black metal understand this. Those people should also be aware of his prowess in the black metal genre and if you don't then you should go put in the new Dimmu Borgir single which is more fitting for you. It seems that the man behind the name has gone to extremes to keep his physical releases as obscure as possible because he knows what black metal's original intention was - not being accessible to people undeserving of it, the fucking poseurs that are tearing down what is more than just a genre of music, the disgusting beauty that is raw black metal. Does that sound elitist? Well, yes! And STW is more than likely okay with that.

Musically, it seems STW has grown a lot but not to the point of deviating from the primitive sound that I've always enjoyed from him. It becomes apparent with one listen to this album. I'm also assuming by looking at the liner notes in the packaging that he still does nearly everything himself which is impressive considering the drums sound better than on any previous album save "Carelian Satanist Madness" which was an amazing album but not quite as complete of an album as the one reviewed here.

Tremelo picking is something that is essential in this genre. On this album, especially on "Warmaster Returns", it is a very mid-paced tremolo wobble which I like a lot because there is a bit of a groove but then he throws you off balance by speeding up the riffing and drumming dramatically. The chaos continues with hammer-ons and bendy Celtic Frost-type shit that can be heard on songs like "Vampires" and there is also a blistering unforgiving solo. "Rotting Raven's Blood" has definite Darkthrone influences in it, especially on the opening riff, reminding me of "Quintessence" or "Hordes of Nebulah" from "Panzerfaust". The best display of guitar composition on the album has to be on "One Shining Star", a song that brings forth the feeling that good old school black metal does. Sounds only like 2 or 3 guitar tracks on the song which is impressive. There is some kind of synth effect towards the end of the song which adds an eerie twist, making it even more somber and evil sounding. Well done and perfectly placed. My personal favorite track on the album is "Bestial Darkness". It opens with what sounds like an organ and then bursts into raunchy riff after raunchy riff and then a lethal solo to top it off.

Satanic Tyrant Werwolf's vocals are absolutely insane. Perfect. It's nothing really fresh or new about the style but the lyrics are a little more distinguishable on this album. That doesn't mean that the production is overdone by any means. A perfect example of his superior vocals are on "Rotting Raven's Blood". Lesser black metal vocalists could only dream of the raspy rants from Hades that STW does so well. Again, upholding tradition properly. The last song's vocals are very ritualistic and occult-based. The music itself in that song is a dreary synth/keyboard/organ sound. A wonderful outro to a wonderful album.

I'm giving this album a 100% because it's a complete black metal album by keeping tradition alive from a musical, lyrical and image perspective. Every song is top-notch, the lyrics are creative and the artwork is masterfully done. This album crushes the skulls of the weak with a war-hammer. I'm not going to tell you to go and buy this because more than likely, you don't deserve it. You'll probably download it anyways. And if you do, fuck off!

The Return... - 86%

ghastlylugosi, August 30th, 2010

The title of this has double meaning; obviously, firstly, it refers to the return of Satanic Warmaster and secondly the feel it gave me reminded me of Bathory's "The Return", if only in comparison to SW's last full-length, the ungodly brilliant "Karelian Satanist Madness". Whereas the production on the aforementioned "KSM" was quite crisp and ripping while still being raw, the sound on this newest is a seemingly huge step backward in quality and history. But is it?

Obviously Satanic Tyrant Werwolf, or whatever he's calling himself today, knows the ins and outs of production technique, and thereby has purposely created this dense miasma of murky buzzing...in fact, it is proudly stated on the album that it was recorded entirely on an analogue 4 track device! However, while sounding very primitive there is an amount of subcontext within the music that is really satisfying. After all, nobody is going to be buying a Satanic Warmaster album expecting a lush pageant of symphonic wonderment, they should be expecting nothing but hateful black metal done in a style that pays homage to the beginning of the movement. For many, this is stagnant and not innovative, but for many others it fills the void left by all the more critically revered innovators. Hell, if you like a style of music, you like it and don't WANT it to mutate into some faggy prog crap!

It is pointless to try to explain the songs; they are all within the same framework of any other SW material: very cool guitar riffs and rhythms, some clanking real drums, a purported bass guitar lurking somewhere in the machinegunfactorywork of death, and the utterly vitriolic scraping of tombstones that serve as the vocals. While not unique in any way, these are all top-notch ingredients for SW's black metal stew. And, let's not forget the weird, primitive, yet tastefully employed keyboards which surface now and again to lend an eerie melody...as you can imagine, they are NOT in the forefront. I will say that the songs themselves are not as "catchy" as on "Strength and Honour" or "Karelian Satanic Madness", but I think they are quite a bit better than on "Opferblut", but that is my opinion and I know it will vary with others.

The cover art is, at first, kind've goofy looking, but upon further inspection reveals an excellent pen-and-ink technique, and after a while you realize it is really great. There are some pithy photos within, as well as lyrics. My version was the first release of Werewolf Records, and is designated "Evil-One" (kind've cool and/or amusing). This is also---supposedly only on first printings---a "gold disc" (the disc itself is gold plastic). Who know what future pressings will be like?

The production on here does set it vaguely apart from other SW releases, though it will sound familiar to longtime black metal enthusiasts; it has a real demo-sounding quality to it, complete with tape-hiss. As I said before, I'm certain it was calculated to sound exactly like this, and really achieves a dark wave of nocturnal gloom...again, very much in the flavour of Bathory's "The Return", although we all know that one was unintentional! Rest assured, you are able to hear everything very well, but almost as if listening through a swarm of poisonous insects. Despite all these decriptors, it is not one of those "tinny" sounding albums, there is a thickness seething below the buzzing. It is enigmatically sharp yet murky. This isn't a heavy album you can really crank on your stereo, more like something to listen to right before sunrise, something you use to keep it darker for just a bit longer. But do try to play it loud, especially if you have neighbours who scare easily! This is not for casual black metal listeners who no doubt prefer the pristine productions of late-period Emperor or Dark Funeral, this is for those who pine for the sometimes inadvertent masterpieces of dark art from the olden times. Yes, it is done purposely. Yes, it is nothing new. But, YES, it is really cool! This will in no way convert the naysayers who insist on bashing SW as worthless and even trendy, but it will greatly satisfy their existing fans as well as anyone who wants to pick up a modern example of how things used to be. Hey, if you like the sound and the songs, what does it matter if Satanic Warmaster are "originators" or not?

Not about to fall off the satanic stairmaster - 75%

autothrall, August 26th, 2010

It's been five years since the Satanic Tyrant Werwolf last tore our faces off with a Satanic Warmaster full-length, that being the Carelian Satanist Madness: harsh, scrappy, and ultimately quite memorable. However, the man has kept himself occupied with another project, the heavy metal Armour, and a slew of EPs, splits and compilations from this project have likewise surfaced in the interim, including raw mixes of this very effort that were part of the mouthful acronym W.A.T.W.T.C.O.T.B.W.O.A.A. compilation released earlier this year. So now that the inimical Nazgul is back home in his primary creative outlet, were the results worth waiting for?

Your mileage will vary based on just how willing you are to take another pestilent voyage through the past, as Satanic Warmaster continues to churn out nothing but the purist brand of dense, hostile black metal, low on production values but high on despotic mayhem. Of course, Mayhem is a true point of reference here, with some Darkthrone and Hellhammer for good measure, and Nazgul seems the perfect one man tribute to these fundamental bands, performing all instruments himself. The lyrics still fancy the classical folklore and occult horror, with songs here like "Satan's Werewolf", "Bestial Darkness" and "Vampires", and the man's vocals are still as sadistic as all fuck.

The most striking characteristic of Nachzerer is the very compact, dark production. The rhythm guitars and bass seem to hover over the listener like a damp canopy of lycanthrope hides while the drums storm just below the surface, breaking through during fills and rides upon the crash. The momentum of a "Warmaster Returns" or "Satan's Werewolf" is difficult to deny, but I feel that the material truly sinks its teeth into my neck when he slows down to the morbid fare that is "Rotting Raven's Blood" or the flowing, submerged melodic power of "One Shining Star." The outro "Utug-Hul" is also quite nice, a ritual/medieval ambient piece with Nazgul's narrative blasphemy. In fact, this closing piece is potent enough that I'd love to hear him do an entire album in this mold, if he can ever find the time. Another track worth mentioning is the despotic "Bestial Darkness", which opens with crushing chords and organs before speeding off into dire vitriol.

Those who will appreciate Nachzehrer probably already know who they are: the legions of grim clad purists who don't give a flying fuck for innovation in black metal, and Satanic Warmaster once again delivers on that front. The riffs here are not perfect, but the overall hostility of the album's atmosphere travels miles on all four bloodied paws to compensate, and the lyrics are fairly engaging despite the redundant subject matter. Don't be fooled, there is enough dynamic balance on this record to provide a number of listens. The Satanic Tyrant is no fool, and he's no one-trick pony. He's written a decent fourth effort here, and while it by no means dethrones a Carelian Satanist Madness or Opferblut, it will still hunt you through the cursed midnight woods and nip at your ankles through the chills and fog.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com