Satanic Royalty

It becomes clear pretty quickly what this is about, if only from the misogynistic cover art and the song titles- “Lust, Filth and Sleaze” being emblematic. This is the Midnight of Black Rock ‘n’ Roll, presenting their first full-length after many years of splits and EPs. Thrash, rock and roll, and black metal collide here in a half-hour of filth-encrusted metal, sitting somewhere between Motörhead, latter-day Darkthrone and Toxic Holocaust. Satanic Royalty is a riotous clash of gravelly riffing and shouty choruses, stimulating an oft-neglected musical spot.

Songs are short, and never once outstay their welcomes. Each title is a chorus, delivered in Athenar’s sneering rasp. You Can’t Stop Steel has a chorus ripped straight from the sleaziest recesses of 80s heavy metal, whilst Necronomicon has an ugly, down-tempo stomp which pollutes those qualities with an early Celtic Frost like pound. It even drops in a Tom G-inspired “Ugh!”- like the Sex Pistols’s Black Leather covered by Hellhammer. Black Damnation is a sick, extreme metal parody of a ‘50s rock ballad, but perhaps the true highlight is the self-explanatory Lust, Filth and Sleaze. The chorus milks those words for all they are worth: “Lust, filth and…. Sssssleeeeeaaaaazzzzeeeeee-ah!”- melded to a bouncing speed metal riff.

You might think that this kind of ultra-hooky rock ‘n’ roll needs more melody than is found on Satanic Royalty to really take off. But this runs perfectly on the sheer force of its crudely addictive rhythms and ugly energy. It works brilliantly as an extreme metallized take on the sights, sounds and smells of retro punk and heavy metal. Superb!