SATAN – Court In Act

The year 2005 marked the reunion of one of the finest of the NWOBHM bands. Satan is back in action after a history of twists and turns with almost their entire original line-up from their debut release. Metal Mind Records made yet another effort to preserve the old flame of Heavy Metal by re-releasing Satan’s debut classic, Court In Act, an album which dated back to 1983, a year in an era that NWOBHM got heavier and shifted to its louder version as Traditional Heavy Metal. One interesting fact regarding Satan is they may have created the base for Speed Metal. and behind some of their musical compositions you can sense the early seeds of Thrash Metal. Examples of bands that were influenced by Satan’s music were Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Overkill. Satan presents NWOBHM as fiercer, heavier, and faster … and unlike acts like Iron Maiden or Saxon, Satan still preserves the amazing melodies that made NWOBHM one of the greatest movements in early Metal.

Satan’s music on Court In Act can be compared in various ways to Maiden’s effort from that same year, Piece Of Mind, in terms of the multiple use of extraordinary melodies and high-rated solos. However, when considering the band’s riffs, drum beats, and overall sound, this Maiden comparison fades out and turns into a new comparison to the early debuts of Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax. Court In Act, in later years, gave the stage to the second generation of Satan under the name of Blind Fury, a project that lasted only a single album. Later, after the third generation of Satan, the British group again changed its name to Pariah and their musical subgenre to Thrash Metal mixed with old Power Metal. From this data, you can infer that Satan became something foreign to the rest of the NWOBHM groupings, and breached the thin line between Hard Rock and British Punk. Court In Act opened a door to a future which was seen in America, Europe, and Britain in particular as a type of music that is not solemnly based on articulate melodies and heavier Hard Rock tunes, but rather on Speed Metal with the crunchy sound of the early Thrash Metal assaults.

The album itself is filled with an enchanting melodic entity, which definitely reminds why this type of music, back then and even today, is so addictive. The blending of heavy, fast riffs and ample kicking drum patterns, coupled with this kind of melodies, was surely one of Satan’s greatest landmarks in Metal music. However, you can still hear the changes, which were made within NWOBHM by Satan, that had their share of loyalties to the old movement in the course of their vocal section and in their skilled bass line, which has its moments of being in charge in various songs. Focusing on their vocal line, Brian Ross has a pattern that was very common among the vocalists of that era. His voice has a mere flat line Hard Rock style, which on occasions is being used to finish phrases with high-pitched shouts that are very appealing.

Satan’s works were unorthodox to early British Metal and their sound was rather different than most of their fellow local bands. Court In Act is the band’s greatest performance and it sent out flairs in many directions, which could be noticed within many bands that took it to a higher level of aggression.

Highlights: “Trial By Fire” – A small history lesson about WWII. “Blades Of Still” – There is nothing better to listen to than another great mythical piece. “No Turning Back,” “Broken Treaties,” “Break Free” – the band’s early single, which is presented on this CD in its single version, a hell of a track with one of the most melodic rhythms ever. “Hunt You Down” – The first war cry of Speed Metal. “Alone In The Dark” – A very mysterious tune with great music. The best of the bonus tracks is “Pull The Trigger,” which is a catchy track with that old AC/DC kind of riff from the early 80s.