Samael - Lux Mundi
Season Of Mist
Blackened Industrial Metal
12 songs (51:55)
Release year: 2011
Samael, Season Of Mist
Reviewed by Cory
Album of the month

When I think of the various band’s I have encountered over the years, a select few stand out in my mind for the impact they had on my musical development. Names like Iron Maiden, Sonata Arctica, Iced Earth, Kamelot, and so on entered my scope at just the right moment to leave a lasting impression that will never fade. Yet since I first had the opportunity to listen to the awe inspiring Eternity, Samael has stood at the forefront of that group. I can distinctly remember listening to the song Together, and just feeling the emotional weight that the music carried with it, connecting with me in a way that few bands have been able to. Further down the road, the positive messages of following albums Reign of Light and SolarSoul helped me maintain focus during times of difficulty, providing a musical outlet for the emotions of hard circumstances I was going through.

Yet with the 2009 release of Above, I was caught a bit off guard. Certainly I was aware of Samael’s Black Metal routes with Worship Him and Blood Ritual, but the abruptness of their return to those roots proved to be a challenge for me to get past because I had not had enough experience with that genre, and so Above fell off of my radar as an album that just was not the Samael I had become accustomed to. Later I acquired the Decade in Hell box set, and after listening to those albums I gained a better understanding of Samael’s origins. Though I feel Above does not leave a strong lasting impression, I can now see its purpose in their discography.

Yet time move’s on, and what once was new is now two years old. So I was shocked when the most recent promo list bore Samael’s newest effort, Lux Mundi. I jumped on it immediately, and downloaded it with more excitement for a new album than I have felt in a long time. This time I felt better prepared for whatever Samael threw my way.

Lux Mundi is the missing link of Samael’s discography, an album that connects all phases of their musical diversity and blends it into a cohesive form. Within you will find elements of Black Metal, Electronica, Industrial, and everything that they have ever experimented with in between. Where Above seemed to disregard Samael’s last decade of musical endeavors, Lux Mundi embraces all of it, putting on a performance that fans of both styles can enjoy without catering to either.

Opener Luxferre establishes the tone of the album as something similar to the Passage era. The production is much cleaner and more identifiable than Above, with all instruments being given an equal footing instead of the over powering drums found on that album. Vorph’s vocals also return to the forefront, though not as dominant as say Reign of Light, and the track starts things off on a high note with a memorable chorus. Subsequent tracks Let My People Be and Of War maintain this style, employing a methodical industrial approach that balances well with the aggressiveness maintained from Above. Though Lux Mundi is structured similar to SolarSoul, it is much heavier.

The first killer track, though, comes in at number four with Anti-God. This is the song where those Black Metal roots come into play, with the lyrics and the bombastic approach. An anthem like chorus plows its way into your head on top of machine-gun like drum patterns and a sinister atmosphere, suitable to the lyrical content. The Shadow of the Sword is another great track. In Gold We Trust is a faster song that reminds me of Valkyries New Ride, but heavier and with a sarcastic edge. Soul Invictus is built to be a live staple, and though it isn’t one of the better songs on the album, in a live setting it could very well be a monster. Closer The Truth is Marching, on the other hand, is excellent and my personal favorite.

So where does Lux Mundi place in the Samael discography? Honestly it is hard to say, because with such diversity between their various works, two people will not judge them on the same standards. I think this is probably their best album since Eternal, but with that said I may change my mind after listening to either SolarSoul or Reign of Light somewhere down the road. That is part of the quality that is Samael; no album is a clone of another. Each work is individual, displaying a different facet of their vision without sacrificing integrity. Samael is not truly Black Metal, or Industrial, or any other style they have incorporated into their music over the years. Those are simply tools used to bring these albums to life, and with Lux Mundi I think Samael has built a bridge that both honors their past, and leads towards an open future. An excellent effort and highly recommended.

Killing Songs :
All, but Anti-God, In Gold We Trust, and The Truth is Marching On stand out.
Cory quoted 92 / 100
Other albums by Samael that we have reviewed:
Samael - Solar Soul reviewed by Cory and quoted 56 / 100
Samael - Reign of Light reviewed by Cory and quoted 86 / 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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