Back In Black! Since the mid-to-late Nineties, Samael have undertaken a long excursion into experimental industrialized/goth tinged dance material, but now the Swiss blitz has returned to the dark side and are the better for it! Blackened vox, courtesy of Vorphalack, (also responsible for buzzing guitars, alongside Marko) while brother Xytraguptor hammers out the ballistic drumming. Above is comprised of ten offerings, plus a remix of ‘Black Hole’, the lone hangover from their “disco” period. The initial half-minute of ‘Polygames’ is as sinister and vicious as anything they’ve ever recorded. Ditto the entire 2:57 ‘Dark Side’. Closer to Worship Him, than Ceremony Of Opposites. A sense of melody creeps beneath the barrage of ‘Earth County’, more noticeable with the sporadic vocals. Digital players misread ‘Black Hole’ as a second version of ‘Virtual War’, but just follow the accompanying lyric sheet.

Nothing special, but still a welcome return, in from the cold sterile sounds of the last decade.