Now a new era is to begin for the band as they have a new contract with Sweden's Regain Records, a label that is steadily growing to become one of the leading metal labels worldwide following signings of veteran bands like Marduk, Danzig and Samael. Also, the new album, full-length album number six in their impressive career. Those of you who hold their first albums closest to your heart will probably not change your minds when Samael release their new album. A lot of things do of course happen during five years inbetween albums and "Reign Of Light" is a wonderful example of what a band can achieve when they are given the chance to work on their own without any time pressure. Compared to "Eternal" you could say that the brothers Vorph and Xy have taken everything one step further but still followed the same path. The black metal vocals are gone, there are plenty of electronics but the heavy guitar riffs are not missing.

The biggest difference compared to the previous album is probably that "Reign Of Light" is harsher and more aggressive and a little less melodic although there are indeed melodies present in every song. The incorporation of industrial influences and one or two techno beats have added a sharp edge to their music that I think many will enjoy. It further adds to the uniqueness of the band and although they are a band set in steady evolution they somehow manage to sound like no other band but themselves with every new album. This is one of the reasons why I have always appreciated the band's music. While others desperately try either to copy someone else's music or mix everything together without any kind of personality or plan, Samael have found that magic formula that works and that every band is looking for. Something else that amazes me is the coherence of this album. Even though it has been many years since their last album, all eleven tracks share a similar musical concept and atmosphere.

It is still possible to pick out a few songs that stick out from the rest. The first obvious choice is the title track with its hypnotic keyboards and powerful chorus. The second strike is the first track - "Moongate" - characterized by Rammstein-like heavy riffing, intense electronics and impressive vocals from Vorph. The heavily oriental sounding "Heliopolis" is also an interesting song although it is not one of my personal favorites. These oriental rhythms are probably the reasons why they were offered a chance to play at a festival in Egypt. How often does that happen to a metal band? Last I should perhaps write a few words about the production. There is not really much to say about it since it is flawless. Producer Waldemar Sorychta always knows what he is doing and the mixing was appropriately handled by the Swede Stefan Glaumann who is an expert in dealing with electronics, having previous experiences with bands like Clawfinger and Rammstein. All of this further helps in making "Reign Of Light" a heavy, powerful, intense and complete album. It's not the band's best album to date (but very close to it) but definitely one of the top ten releases of 2004. While most bands follow only a few are able to lead and Samael is one of them. "Reign Of Light" is a an album with many strengths but few, if any, weaknesses.

Note: Guest appearances on this album were made by Sami Yli-Simiö on sitar and Sandra Schleret (ex-Dreams Of Sanity, Siegfried) on vocals.

written by Vincent Eldefors

Playing time: 42.34