Samael

Samael is the name of an industrial band from Switzerland. They started out in 1989 as a black metal band, nearly indistinguishable from the multitide of other black metal bands of the day -- ergo, mix early Mayhem, Immortal and Bathory and you'd have Samael, even with the silly lyrics. The band, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Vorphalack, drummer/programmer Xytras and bassist Masmisiem, released the rather generic-sounding LP Worship Him in 1991, to minor critical acclaim. They followed up with the awesome Blood Ritual in 1992, and after its release, the band began to transmogrify themselves into a sort of Satanic industrial band, drawing influence from their German neighbours Einstrüzende Neubauten, Test Department, :Wumpscut: and Terminal Choice. Their next release, the LP Ceremony of Opposites included a noticable electronic twinge, as did the followup EP Rebellion.

Shortly before the release of their next album in 1996, the band parted ways with bassist Masmisiem, who was promptly replaced by Randolphe H. The next album, Passage, created quite a stir in the black metal community due to its heavy industrial bent. The best I can compare it to is... actually I can't compare it to anything, as it's a fairly unique offering from a metal band. All the drums were tracked (no actual drum kit was used), and the prominence of the synths was clearly a turning point for the band. Vorphalack's trademark growly, cartoonish-demonic vocals were being phased out for a more steady, intelligible stream of poetic lyrics, and the guitars were used only to accent the synths and drum tracks.

In 1999 Eternal was released, and contained nearly no traces of their black metal past, as this album was straightforward industrial/electronica. Around this time the band rerecorded a few of their older tracks from Blood Ritual, as sort of a gift to their fanbase.

Samael has lent their programming skills to a handful of European artists, such as German goth band Lacrimosa, when they remixed the Lacrimosa track "Copycat," and today continues to push the boundries of "dark electro," (not "darkwave" -- that came way before and is generally reserved as a label for Projekt bands) as they were not only the founders of the genre, but also one of its only members.

DISCOGRAPHY:

1991 Worship Him
1. Sleep of Death
2. Worship Him
3. Knowledge of the Ancient Kingdom
4. Morbid Metal
5. Rite of Cthulhu
6. The Black Face
7. Into the Pentagram
8. Messenger of the Light
9. Last Benediction
10. The Dark

1992 Blood Ritual
1. Epilogue
2. Beyond the Nothingness
3. Poison Infiltration
4. After the Sepulture
5. Macabre Operetta
6. Blood Ritual
7. Since the Creation
8. With the Gleam of the Torches
9. Total Consecration
10. Bestial Devotion
11. ...Until the Chaos

1994 Ceremony of Opposites
1. Black Trip
2. Celebration of the Fourth
3. Son of Earth
4. Till We Meet Again
5. Mask of the Red Death
6. Baphomet's Throne
7. Flagellation
8. Crown
9. To Our Martyrs
10. Ceremony of Opposites

1995 Rebellion
1. Rebellion (new version)
2. After the Sepulture (new version)
3. I Love the Dead
4. Static Journey
5. Into the Pentagram (new version)

1996 Passage
1. Rain
2. Shining Kingdom
3. Angel's Decay
4. My Savior
5. Jupiterian Vibe
6. The Ones Who Came Before
7. Liquid Soul Dimension
8. Moonskin
9. Born Under Saturn
10. Chosen Race
11. A Man in Your Head

1998 Exodus
1. Exodus
2. Tribes of Cain
3. Son of Earth
4. Winter Solstice
5. Ceremony of Opposites
6. From Malkuth to Kether
7. Static Journey

1999 Eternal
1. Year Zero
2. Ailleurs
3. Together
4. Ways
5. The Cross
6. Us
7. Supra Karma
8. I
9. Nautilus & Zeppelin
10. Infra Galaxia
11. Being
12. Radiant Star