SAMAEL - Blood Ritual CD

Samael would take on elements that work on a productive, yet simple, level for their second album and follow up to their debut Worship Him. Samael had a past influence from Hellhammer that would show throughout their fast and slow debut. Blood Ritual is a distancing from their faster sentiments, while demonstrating a slower paced attitude and a middle mentality.

The new sound Samael has is quite clear and shakes off the filth from the last. While the music here isn't going for a savage or shocking showcase. Rather, Samael plays with a simplistic emphasis on catchy riffs and a less over-bearing side. Their darker half is a powerful engagement with elements that are timed, and have a spacing that is appropriate to its own musical subtleties from the first note to the very last.

Blood Ritual would be a more subtle approach to dark-themes and has a beneath-the-surface evil persona. It uses a slower and middle take on black metal, while mixing a few keyboard sections and concentrating on fundamental pumping metal with heavy toned riffs. There is also a captivating basicness with Samael's Blood Ritual that has a way with its audience: to listen to the full album in its entirety and hardly flinch at hitting the replay button.