SATAN is one of those NWOBHM bands that have only gotten more productive as time progresses. Not only that, these guys from Newcastle in England have been able to produce one good album after another. And now, in October 2024, just two years after “Earth Infernal” (which I reviewed too), I am reviewing their seventh and latest full length studio album, called “Songs In Crimson”. And again there is no escaping the fact that you will immediately recognise the sound of the musicians as well as the vocalist, as they are what makes SATAN stand out from so many other bands.

And the quality of the music is above reproach as well. As it usually is, really. The writers of the band have remained with the band from the start, just like the whole line up has been consistent for many a year. When you realise that the latest additions to the band joined in 1983, you can tell that the band know they are holding gold in their musical hands. Just to make it compete, the last in actually were singer Brian Ross and drummer Sean Taylor. Both guitar players Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey started SATAN in 1979, and bassist Grame English joined in 1980. This just shows that the fact that these guys interact so easy is a case of natural evolution.

As for the music, every song on “Songs In Crimson” has its story to tell, and the atmosphere is usually just about right for what this album is all about. Whereas the promo of “Earth Infernal” suffered from a very poor sound, which did impact on the rating I gave. The album that went on sale sounded a lot better! The record company has not made that mistake with “Songs In Crimson”, which sounds phenomenal. But I can hear in the sound of the guitars that SATAN is smiling. He is seeing that the world is going down fast, and that his kingdom and reign is about to take hold. That might explain why the riffs on “Songs In Crimson” sound less menacing than they usually do, instead they sound more upbeat. With that comes the voice of Brian Ross is sounding just an octave higher at certain times. It is a shift that is to be expected, as the Dark Lord is ready to punce when the “Earth Infernal” comes to fruition, resulting in “Songs In Crimson” becoming the new norm.