Samael

Exodus (Century Media)
by Martin Popoff

Another tempter/taster from this most elegant of Swiss atmospherics, Exodus is a 29 minute grab-bag of new tracks (three of them) and remakes (four of them). All coalesce into Vorph and Xy’s unified vision, to create a no man’s land between death, black, Goth, and industrial with the smooth drinkability of classic metal. Production is exquisite, and the drum programming highly imaginative, both disciplines combining to create a hard, sharp bed over which to place the band’s saddening and intoxicating compositions. The new record should rule. As usual.
(2323 W. El Segundo Blvd. Hawthorne, CA 90250)