ALBUM REVIEW: Satan's Satyrs, "The Lucky Ones"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/10/2018

Label: Bad Omen Records |

RidingEasy Records

“The Lucky Ones” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Thrill of the City

2). The Lucky Ones

3). She Beast

4). Take It and Run

5). You and Your Boots

6). Too Early to Fold

7). Pulp Star

8). Trampled by Angels

9). Permanent Darknes

The Review:

What if, rather than dying in that car-crash in 1977, Marc Bolan had instead taken over guitar and vocal duties in Angel Witch, and decided they needed to tune down to couple of steps? It’s something we’ve all pondered, I’m sure, but thanks to Satan’s Satyrs we need wonder no longer.

“The Lucky Ones” is the fourth full length from the Virginia quartet, following their split EP with tour-mates Windhand, released on Relapse Records earlier this year. Once again the garage rock/proto-punk influences of MC5, Blue Cheer, Ziggy Stardust era Bowie, and all the rest, clash head on with NWOHBM dual guitars and chunky, swaggering Cock Rock riffs.

What are Satan's Satyrs? Are they a Glam Punk band? That sounds a bit shit. Are they a Retro Rock band? That sounds ever shitter. But they're undeniably a band whose sound, look, and attitude is rooted in the 1970s. Of course, the same could be said for a lot of bands in 2018, but Satan's Satyrs are a lot more The Sweet than Sabbath.

“Thrill of the City” is a tyre-screeching Stooges-like opener, with tasty Thin Lizzy twin lead work from Nate Towle and Jarrett Nettnin. “The Lucky Ones” like a raw, garage cover-version of some unlikely song you've definitely heard before, but somehow can't remember the name of. “She Beast”’s main riff is a weighty, sleazy Southern Rock strut with Clayton Burgess' chunky bass grunting away octaves below his pouty, boy-Bowie vocals.

“Take it and Run” is an acoustic driven number, equal parts Lizzy, T-Rex, and Ziggy. “You and Your Boots”' fat, chugging verses give way to straight up rock n roll choruses, with unashamedly triumphant leads which wouldn't sound out of place on a track by The Darkness. “Too Early to Fold”, similarly sounds like it could be some raw, rough and ready pre-“Permission to Land” lost demo.

There's more than a whiff of early Guns N Roses throughout the record, but “Pulp Star” is pretty much straight up L.A. Hard Rock. “Trampled by Angels” sounds exactly like it's being performed (mimed to, I suppose) on a 1978 Christmas edition of Top of the Pops. “Permanent Darkness” is the most thoroughly NWOBHM sounding track on “The Lucky Ones” and, as such, it's a strong closer – bringing the kitch levels down several notches.

So, to return to the question, what are Satan’s Satyrs? Is it possible to be a brand new Classic Rock band? Even if it is, that’s still not quite right in terms of describing what they’re up to. They’re more like a brand new proto-Classic Rock band – a band capturing the sound and energy of what happened in venues like The Rainbow in London in the lead up to the dull, grey 1980s, and the dawn of Stadium Rock proper. Sweaty, urgent, cocksure, and raw; as much as I can list all these forty-odd year old bands and artists that Satan's Satyrs undeniably sound like, there’s no sense that they’re a mere pastiche of what’s gone before. Whatever exactly it is that they’re actually doing, whatever you want to call it, they seem to be the only ones out there doing it right now, and they’re doing it well.

“The Lucky Ones” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Windhand & Satan's Satyrs - "Windhand & Satan's Satyrs Split"

By: John Reppion

Album Type: Split LP

Date Released: 16/02/2018

Label: Relapse Records

This is two bands at the top of their game, producing some of their finest work to date

“Windhand & Satan’s Satyrs Split” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). Windhand – “Old Evil”

2). Windhand – “Three Sisters”

3). Satan’s Satyrs – “Alucard AD 2018”

4). Satan’s Satyrs – “Succubus”

5). Satan’s Satyrs – “Ain’t That Lovin’ You, Baby”

The Review:

I was lucky enough to catch Windhand and Satan's Satyrs playing together when they toured the UK at the end of 2017. At the time I didn't quite see the kinship between the two bands, but thanks to this new Relapse Records split release, the connection is now somewhat clearer to me.

On first listen Windhand’s opener, “Old Evil”, sounds like a track straight off of “Griefs Infernal Flower” (and that’s definitely no bad thing). Further plays however, reward the listener with something that’s actually a few degrees heavier, and tighter than the content of the 2015 album. Essentially it’s like the most Windhand that Windhand have ever been; they are well and truly on point here. “Three Sisters” is built around one simple and massive riff, with added keyboard gloom courtesy of Jonathan Kassilow (of Sinister Haze and former Windhand Split-buddies Cough). The track is staggeringly doomy: lumbering and powerful and miserable, and pretty fucking wonderful overall.

“Alucard A.D.” starts things off on the Satan’s Satyrs half of the record, and it does so in heavy style. Now previously, thanks to their 2015 album “Don’t Deliver Us”, I thought of Satan’s Satyrs as a kind of Glam Punk retro rock kind of band, but that’s not what they sound like here. This is juicy, juicy stuff which reminds more than a little of Electric Wizard’s “We, The Undead”, in the best possible way. 

“Succubus” follows on wonderfully well with a main riff that’s both doomy and kind of cheeky and funny. There’s more than a hint of NWOBHM in the guitar work, and the whole thing just slots together in such a way that, even after several listens, still hasn’t failed to put a smile on my face. Closer “Aint That Lovin’ You Baby” is much more in line with my previous expectations with regard to Satan’s Satyrs. It’s a sleazy 12 bar blues that clicks into double-time half way through before going down in a blaze of Cock Rock guitar solos. Claythanas'/Clayton Burgess' shout of “thank you, goodnight!” is all that’s really missing from the end of this obvious set-closer.

Sometimes these split EPs can feel a bit like filler between “proper” releases; songs that didn’t make it on to the main record, or versions of some work in progress that’s not yet quite come together. That is definitely not the case with this Windhand / Satan's Satyrs release however. This is two bands at the top of their game, producing some of their finest work to date. So much so in the case of Satan's Satyrs that

I’m really regretting missing the beginning of their set back in October.

“Windhand & Satan’s Satyrs Split” is available here

Band info: Windhand || Satan’s Satyrs