Samael - Solar Soul
Nuclear Blast
Industrial Metal
12 songs (46:47)
Release year: 2007
Samael, Nuclear Blast
Reviewed by Cory
Archive review

If you asked prior to this week what I thought of Samael’s 2007 effort Solar Soul, my response would have been much more enthusiastic than this review conveys. Memory led me to believe this to be a strong album, despite the fact that right behind 2009’s Above it is the post-Passage album I listen to the least. Yet when I sat down for a final objective spin to firmly pin down my opinion in preparation for this review, I was surprised to realize the real reason why I seldom come back to it: there is a metric ton of filler on this album. Seriously, outside of five mostly memorable tracks I lost count of how many times I had to keep myself from hitting the skip button. Even more frustrating is that I don’t feel the album is inherently bad or unlistenable, though admittedly I might be sugar coating it because of my blatant Samael worship, but it is most definitely leaning towards the boring side of the equation. Why is this? Well I’ve got my scalpel, so on to the autopsy!

Before I jump into what drags this album down, let’s cover the positives. The production is perhaps the best on any Samael album, featuring a clean and precise quality that leaves nothing to be desired. Slaveocracy is by far the catchiest, most listenable tune Samael have produced. Certainly not their best song, but one that only takes a single listen to become forever embedded in your head. Part of the reason it works is that Solar Soul is an album where Samael plays things conservative and safe, leaning neither too far into experimental waters nor too close to their black metal roots (see Above for that particular itch to be scratched). With Slaveocracy this works because the song is structured to be a simple one-two punch to the face, driven by a hell of a hook, and doesn’t need anything additional to be successful. It works because of its simplicity. Other songs that benefit from this formula are Promised Land, the excellent Suspended Time (with another knock out hook), to a lesser extent Valkyries New Ride, and the very cool Middle Eastern vibes of Quasar Waves. Each of these songs would be something to look forward to in a live setting.

Unfortunately the remaining seven songs are largely boring and forgettable. The title track tries to kick things off with an upbeat inspirational approach, similar to what Moongate did for 2005’s Reign of Light, but falls victim to a weak structure that prevents it from taking off. After two strong tracks Western Ground reduces this album to a crawl that lasts through both On the Rise and Alliance. The issue I find here is that when Samael slows things down on Solar Soul and goes for a bombastic marching vibe, which is the majority of the album, the riffs and more importantly the drum patterns of Xy aren’t there to back it up quality wise. The word of choice here would be monotonous. This leaves Vorph to carry the flag vocally, and frankly I think the majority of Solar Soul is one of his weakest efforts to date. Nothing he does here outside of the songs I mentioned before makes me stand up and take notice, which is shocking when you understand just how much I enjoy his work on albums like Eternal and Passage. There is nothing to be added regarding the remainder of the album. Simply boring, uninspired song writing that drags it down despite its merits. If you ask me which album in the Samael discography I think they put the least effort into, this is my choice.

I hold Samael in the highest regards, and therefore it actually pains me to write this review. One of my all time favorite bands, Samael's Solar Soul will likely be an album that I come back to less and less over time in favor of their better efforts. Oh, and yes I know what my user name in the forums is. I still think Solar Soul is a kick ass album title, so it’s safe.

Killing Songs :
Promised Land, Slaveocracy, and Suspended Time
Cory quoted 56 / 100
Other albums by Samael that we have reviewed:
Samael - Reign of Light reviewed by Cory and quoted 86 / 100
Samael - Lux Mundi reviewed by Cory and quoted 92 / 100
Samael - Passage reviewed by Goat and quoted 85 / 100
Samael - Ceremony Of Opposites reviewed by Goat and quoted 95 / 100
Samael - Blood Ritual reviewed by Goat and quoted 83 / 100
To see all 9 reviews click here
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