Germany has been well documented as being a safe haven and stronghold for the extreme lifestyles. Bands like KREATOR and RAMMSTEIN have all spawned from the Teutonic homeland, whilst events like Wacken Open Air help to keep the scene alive in the country. But there have been more youthful offerings unto the community recently. Today we take a look at SUPER SATAN's debut album "Menetekel".

The artwork is simple, two monks praying to the band's logo. It gets the point across. Opening the record is the title track "Menetekel", a solely instrumental track that relies on the dissonance of harsh open chords and a looming dragging effect of the mixing to generate the atmosphere that is required. I felt, however that it was slightly marred by the drums kicking in at the end. I think that this would have been better off at the beginning of the second track and perhaps this was a mistake in the mixing. "Zwiespalt" doesn't mess around. Harsh and heavy chords accompany brutally relentless blast beats which is garnished with the aggressive and anguishing screams of the vocal line. Which appears to be an unwavering theme throughout, bar for a short respite, I can only assume to allow you to catch your breath!

As I continue listening through "Einklang" and "Mondglanz" I can't help but be amazed by the subtle melodies floating in the undertone. Quite often in Extreme Metal one can lose the melody in amongst the chaos and brutality. However, in the case of SUPER SATAN it is very eloquently done. This is seen even more within "Dämmerung" as the gentle and soothing melody crescendos throughout, layers being developed and added as the track continues to build until it's inevitable and fervent release.

With "Wolkenbruch" we are treated to an almost halfway house, with delightful melodies, that do not lose their edge to the harder and more ruthless elements of the album, but more add depth to the record as a whole. A special mention must go to some divine drum playing on this track; however, I could not find who recorded the drum lines so I cannot tip my hat to them personally. "Auferstehung" appears to lull the listener into a false sense of security before launching another full fisted aural assault.

As we come to the final three tracks, I am wanting this journey to continue onwards, as to this point it has been beyond impressive. "Weltenbrand" comes in to deliver some more intense and aggressive riffs and blast beats, paving the way to "Ritual". Which takes it up a notch further and pushes the listener onto the edge of their seat waiting to see what the final track could possibly contain! What a final track it is as well. "Ur" the eight-minute epic that takes us on a rollercoaster ride, showcasing all of the fantastic elements of this band one final time.

Overall, this is an album that shouldn't have been produced. SUPER SATAN are ahead of their time and are playing well beyond their years. The synchronisation, musical understanding and knowledge displayed is phenomenal and I cannot wait to see what comes next. Any fans of Heavy Metal, any true fans who can appreciate good music when it is thrust upon NEEDS to hear this album!