SAMAEL Solar Soul (2007) CD

By 2007, Samael had long left black metal behind, and the purists never quite forgave them for it. Good. Solar Soul is the sound of a band doing exactly what they want, fusing cold industrial architecture with expansive, almost cosmic rock in a way that sounds like nothing else in the Swiss underground or anywhere else.

This is Samael at their most cinematic, pulling together electronic pulse, orchestral sweep, and Vorph's distinctive baritone into something that rewards patience. If you came in through Passage or Eternal, this is the logical next chapter, darker in atmosphere than the pop press gave it credit for, more metal than the electronic crowd wanted to admit. A divisive record, which is usually a good sign.

CD. Released 2007 on Nuclear Blast. Origin: Switzerland. Genre: Industrial Metal.

Fans of: Rammstein, Fields of the Nephilim, Moonspell, Front Line Assembly.