Year: 2024
Total Time: 44.59
Label: Napalm Records

The Swiss metallers SAMAEL need no special introduction. A band formed in 1987 by the brothers Vorph (Vocals, Guitars) and Xy (Keys, samples, drum, programming, and percussions) who are its only stable members since then. A band that started playing Black Metal (not even having a bass in their first demo!) and slowly began to turn their sound towards more Industrial directions, with lots of keyboards, samples and drum machines. The first steps of this transformation were seen in 1994’s “Ceremony Of Opposites” and the “Rebellion” Ep, but the release that changed everything and revolutionized the Extreme Metal scene was 1996’s “Passage” album!

Wanting to mark the 25th anniversary of this release, SAMAEL did a series of live shows in 2022 playing “Passage” in its entity. One of these concerts took place in Krakow (Poland) and was sold out, was also recorded and is officially released. So “Passage Live” is released in 2024 by their label Napalm Records on vinyl and cd. It contains the 11 songs of “Passage” plus a short introduction. The two brothers accompanied by Drop on guitars and Ales on bass play the aforementioned songs in more “rock” performances with a lot of “live” feeling and kind of altered. After all, this is the main purpose of a live recording! To be honest I prefer the original versions, but this is a matter of taste. “Rain” and “Jupiterian Vibe” are the tracks that stand out and get the crowd going!

Summarizing, let’s emphasize that this particular release is probably aimed mainly for the hardcore fans of the band and is accompanied by a 20-page inlay with many photos. Truth is that I would prefer a live album with songs from their entire discography. Although we don’t rate live albums at THE GALLERY Web Magazine, SAMAEL remains my favorite Metal band….

Rating: N/A
Editor: Dimitris Argyrakis
Related Link: SAMAEL – Facebook Page