Samael
Ceremony Of Opposites
[Century Media]


Samael's 1994 masterpiece, before taking a more experimental industrial route, Samael released Ceremony Of Opposites, milestones above their previous two full lengths, the peak of their work in the realm of metal with slight and not so slight touches of Black and death metal.

Not a weak song to be found on the album, whether listened to individually or as a whole, each song stands on its' own, musically and lyrically. Samael's lyrics are intelligent, truthful, bluntly blasphemous at times; -Ceremony Of Opposites- contains some of the best lyrics of the genre. Musically, the songs are great works of technicality fueled with hate. The drumming is top notch, complimenting the other instruments and vocals throughout the album, the vocals themselves don't vary too much, still, Vorphalack gives one of best performances of the year and years to come on this album, his voice mixes flawlessly with the music and together with the great guitar work and bass create a excellent musical experience. Such perfection is presented best on the opening track, 'Black Trip', Vorphalack flows seamlessly with the backing guitars while the drums highlight peak moments of the song, the same goes for other timeless classic anthems such as ''Til We Meet Again', 'Baphoment's Throne', 'Flagellation', 'Crown', and the title track. That said, let me again state there are no weak songs on this album, every song is top notch, (although the ones' named stand out the most).

Ceremony Of Opposites is not only essential Samael, it is also an essential (Black) metal album, even those not particularly interested in Black Metal styled music may enjoy this, a masterpiece of blackened art, beyond comparison.


© 2000 alasdor