Search - Satanic Slaughter :: Satanic Slaughter Years

A Far Cry From Witchery - Leaning More Toward Black Metal

Ken | Youngsville, LA USA | 12/22/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For many fans of metal, the majority of this band's line-up will be quite familiar; all but one of the members in Satanic Slaughter went on to form Witchery, a far more traditionally heavy metal combo that seemed to be an immediate hit within the scene. From what I've gathered, a difference in musical direction forced the split between Ztephen Dark, who wanted to maintain a black metal foundation within SS, and the other members, who would later develop Witchery by acquiring the services of Mercyful Fate bassist Sharlee D'Angelo to fill out the ranks. Being a devoted Witchery fanatic, in my naivete I figured that there would be great ties between the Satanic Slaughter sound and what Witchery were accomplishing. Surprise! Funny, I never would have thought that these were the same guys, as I find that there's little comparison between the two.
So, in essence, Satanic Slaughter must be regarded and described as a completely separate entity - with no Witchery comparisons to draw from. The title of this CD may lead to some confusion, though. I know some fans who thought "The Early Years" was a reference to the beginnings of the Witchery legacy, but there are very few signs of that.
These tracks were recorded during various sessions around 1995 and originally released as two separate LPs, "Satanic Slaughter" and "Land Of The Unholy Souls". On the average, the songs clock in at about three minutes. Unfortunately, most of the tracks seem a tad uninspired at times. Tempos rarely change within each of the tracks, and while I am a great proponent of the ultra-fast "blast beat," sometimes it can only go so far when used constantly over the course of a 67-minute CD. I tend to think that these guys were trying to develop their own identity within Black Metal, like working their way into Marduk territory (granted, with a slightly original edge) rather than the Emperor or Immortal sense of the genre that most fans think of. And while they may have succeeded with more effort, it's impossible to tell where they would have taken their sound, since their development was abruptly halted.
Unfortunately, there are even problems with the production. The guitars are really trebly and noisy. In fact, there is somewhat of an under-produced feel throughout, and despite early Black Metal releases were given a special atmosphere due to their "necro" production, the result here just doesn't help.
In summary, there are a few different reasons for fans of extreme music to warrant getting this disk. First of all, if you are a fan of Witchery, you might want this to fulfill your curiosity as to what predated that band, especially since this line-up was almost the same. But keep in mind that you've been warned once again, though - this is a far stretch from the Witchery you may know and love! Secondly, if you are a fan of Black Metal in general this may be of interest. Although it's far from the likes of Black Metal's bigger names, it's got much of the character and atmosphere that devoted fans of Black Metal might enjoy. Thirdly, and finally, if you were at any point a fan of Satanic Slaughter in the mid 90's, you should get this compiled set of recordings now that they have been re-released in this concise format. So even though Satanic Slaughter isn't exactly my cup of tea, there are definitely people out there who will find "Dawn Of Darkness" very important, indeed."

Not for Witchery fans

Julien | France | 10/04/2001

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I love Witchery, but this Satanic Slaughter stuff is pretty awful, really. A bunch of worthless generic black/thrash tunes, with no inspiration whatsoever . This looks like a despicable attempt to cash in on Witchery's deserved success. Get all the Witchery albums instead!"