Satan’s history is storied, their albums and incendiary live shows, iconic. The Newcastle, England-bred lineup may quip that their career has been “44 years of prolonged mayhem with a 20-year lunch break”- forming in 1980, eventually pausing before reuniting in 2011- but circa 2024 finds the band thriving, writing, recording, and touring at the top of their game. Proof positive is their seventh studio album, and third for Metal Blade, Songs in Crimson.

If 2022’s Earth Infernal album was brutal, up-tempo and with loud guitars, guitarist Russ Tippins calls Songs in Crimson “concise. It’s more to the point and gets there quicker. One of the reasons behind the title Songs in Crimson is that this record is very ‘song’ focused. There’s more punch this time around. Each chorus speaks for itself.” An eminently relatable song is “Era (The Day Will Come).” “There is nobody on this planet who is not familiar with the feeling of loss. When you get to the age we are at in this band, it becomes a weekly occurrence. If there is a message in the lyrics, it is pretty much ‘do not take anything for granted.’ Especially people. You just don’t know what is around the corner that you can’t see coming.”

CD/ LP:

01 Frantic Zero 04:34
02 Era (The Day Will Come) 04:40
03 Whore of Babylon 03:58
04 Sacramental Rites 04:44
05 Martyrdom 03:55
06 Turn the Tide 04:06
07 Captives 03:51
08 Curse in Disguise 04:46
09 Truth Bullet 04:55
10 Deadly Crimson 04:54