Review by Felix on August 14, 2019.

Spiker? Who? Ah, a new band from Kreator-City. But do not even think of thrash metal. The German lyrics work as an omen. This is very Teutonic metal, but, what a pity, the first three songs sound like a modern version of krautrock. Some speedy elements cannot hide the fact that the band prefers absolutely unspectacular tempos. And as much as I regret it, that's not the only bad decision of the dudes. Their melodies are completely stale and the vocals suck. Sometimes the songs sound like a parody gone wrong and the harmless and ridiculous lyrics add insult to injury. Why did an interesting label like Dying Victims Productions sign these amateurs? I admit that a few sequences indicate a solid musical understanding and the instrumental part of the awkwardly titled "Der Rock der es bringt" could make fun if it were integrated in a better song frame. But come on, at the end I am listening to some songs that the stylistically comparable Atlain, this underrated Teutonic force from the mid-eighties, would not even have recorded for the first demo.

"Kommando" deals with the battle of Stalingrad and everybody will understand that this topic seems to require a more powerful design. The comparatively high velocity increases the dynamic of the output, but now the neighbors of Mille sound like a rock against communism band - of course, this is not to say that the dudes have any kind of right-wing background, don't get me wrong. But the voice is expressionless and things like verse metre seem to be completely unknown to the guys. Details aside, this song is acceptable for a group in its infancy. Together with a small number of further sections, it reflects the band's enthusiasm and I do not doubt the passion of the dudes. But already the absolutely boring riff that kicks off the EP or the pretty well-balanced, yet powerless production drive this work into the ditch and the closer falls back on the tiring level of the first three pieces. What a good idea that the formation did not record a full-length... 

Enough said. The material of Heavy Metal Macht can work live on stage as long as the audience is drunken, but it needs a lot of care, exercise and evolution until this unit can be seen as a serious ambassador of heavy metal. Excuse the pun, but this EP should be renamed into "Heavy Metal macht nix", because its songs are faceless and leave no impact. Hopefully the third output will show us the real skills of these guys.

Rating: 2 out of 10

Review by Felix on August 14, 2019.

Spiker? Who? Ah, a new band from Kreator-City. But do not even think of thrash metal. The German lyrics work as an omen. This is very Teutonic metal, but, what a pity, the first three songs sound like a modern version of krautrock. Some speedy elements cannot hide the fact that the band prefers absolutely unspectacular tempos. And as much as I regret it, that's not the only bad decision of the dudes. Their melodies are completely stale and the vocals suck. Sometimes the songs sound like a parody gone wrong and the harmless and ridiculous lyrics add insult to injury. Why did an interesting label like Dying Victims Productions sign these amateurs? I admit that a few sequences indicate a solid musical understanding and the instrumental part of the awkwardly titled "Der Rock der es bringt" could make fun if it were integrated in a better song frame. But come on, at the end I am listening to some songs that the stylistically comparable Atlain, this underrated Teutonic force from the mid-eighties, would not even have recorded for the first demo.

"Kommando" deals with the battle of Stalingrad and everybody will understand that this topic seems to require a more powerful design. The comparatively high velocity increases the dynamic of the output, but now the neighbors of Mille sound like a rock against communism band - of course, this is not to say that the dudes have any kind of right-wing background, don't get me wrong. But the voice is expressionless and things like verse metre seem to be completely unknown to the guys. Details aside, this song is acceptable for a group in its infancy. Together with a small number of further sections, it reflects the band's enthusiasm and I do not doubt the passion of the dudes. But already the absolutely boring riff that kicks off the EP or the pretty well-balanced, yet powerless production drive this work into the ditch and the closer falls back on the tiring level of the first three pieces. What a good idea that the formation did not record a full-length... 

Enough said. The material of Heavy Metal Macht can work live on stage as long as the audience is drunken, but it needs a lot of care, exercise and evolution until this unit can be seen as a serious ambassador of heavy metal. Excuse the pun, but this EP should be renamed into "Heavy Metal macht nix", because its songs are faceless and leave no impact. Hopefully the third output will show us the real skills of these guys.

Rating: 2 out of 10

Review by Felix on March 31, 2023.

Since the release of "Ceremony of Opposites" I was convinced that Samael are blessed with an extraordinary talent. "Passage" was already a very different but still fantastic work. Nevertheless, at the end of the last millennium, it became more and more obvious that Samael's intentions and my musical taste were no perfect match any longer. "Solar Soul" was another brick in the wall that separated their ambitions from my musical wishes.

First of all, it is no m***l album. Yes, I don't want to write the word m***l in this review, because the sound engineers worship synthesizers, while the guitars are just a subordinate accessory. In addition, none of the "natural feelings" of a m***l album does occur: no anger, no aggression, not even the smallest touch of insanity, no oppositional attitude, no revolutionary emotion. Instead, Samael offer eleven uniform tracks, standardized in length (3:30 – 4:39) and speed. Mid-tempo till death is on the agenda. Switzerland's avant-garde sees the highway, but the dudes prefer to drive on the side street with reduced traffic where life is a long and silent (or should I say boring?) river.

Anyway, let's get back to the sound. If you cherish keyboards bombast, the precision of Swiss clockworks and robots that think they are human beings, you will love the production. But I do not like this objectively flawless mix. It is warm, full and smooth, but without depth or individuality. Additionally, it conveys rather a theatrical mood than a m***lic approach. So one of my last still working brain cells sends permanently the confusing signal: something is wrong here. Why did you buy a heavy pop album? I beg your pardon, brain cell, I am too old to remember.

Due to the absence of riffs, we have to put the focus on the melody lines. They commute between monotonous and great. Yes, the flickering melody of 'Slavocracy' and its slightly menacing mood make this song to the highlight of the album. Apart from this track, the comparatively powerful 'Valkyries' Last Dance' cuts a swath through the jungle of mid-tempo monotony. Nevertheless, I cannot forget the thought that Samael prove their ability to waste their potential in a very dubious manner. The seemingly endless stream of similarly constructed songs leaves me more or less cold, even though the majority of the songs are acceptable. "Acceptable" - what a shameful word in connection with Samael!

Even when it comes to pretty good (pop) harmonies ('Quasar Waves' is based on a charming, oriental tone sequence), "Solar Soul" remains ironically quite soulless. Overall, I see no possibility to join the ranks of those highly respected reviewers who have given this work an amazing high score. My sad conclusion is: competent musicians have recorded an album full of electronic gimmicks and monotonous, not very charismatic vocals whose totality is less than the sum of its parts. Evaluating each piece individually would perhaps result in a higher rating than indicated above. But on the long haul, it's just tiring and a bit limp.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10

Review by Felix on March 31, 2023.

Since the release of "Ceremony of Opposites" I was convinced that Samael are blessed with an extraordinary talent. "Passage" was already a very different but still fantastic work. Nevertheless, at the end of the last millennium, it became more and more obvious that Samael's intentions and my musical taste were no perfect match any longer. "Solar Soul" was another brick in the wall that separated their ambitions from my musical wishes.

First of all, it is no m***l album. Yes, I don't want to write the word m***l in this review, because the sound engineers worship synthesizers, while the guitars are just a subordinate accessory. In addition, none of the "natural feelings" of a m***l album does occur: no anger, no aggression, not even the smallest touch of insanity, no oppositional attitude, no revolutionary emotion. Instead, Samael offer eleven uniform tracks, standardized in length (3:30 – 4:39) and speed. Mid-tempo till death is on the agenda. Switzerland's avant-garde sees the highway, but the dudes prefer to drive on the side street with reduced traffic where life is a long and silent (or should I say boring?) river.

Anyway, let's get back to the sound. If you cherish keyboards bombast, the precision of Swiss clockworks and robots that think they are human beings, you will love the production. But I do not like this objectively flawless mix. It is warm, full and smooth, but without depth or individuality. Additionally, it conveys rather a theatrical mood than a m***lic approach. So one of my last still working brain cells sends permanently the confusing signal: something is wrong here. Why did you buy a heavy pop album? I beg your pardon, brain cell, I am too old to remember.

Due to the absence of riffs, we have to put the focus on the melody lines. They commute between monotonous and great. Yes, the flickering melody of 'Slavocracy' and its slightly menacing mood make this song to the highlight of the album. Apart from this track, the comparatively powerful 'Valkyries' Last Dance' cuts a swath through the jungle of mid-tempo monotony. Nevertheless, I cannot forget the thought that Samael prove their ability to waste their potential in a very dubious manner. The seemingly endless stream of similarly constructed songs leaves me more or less cold, even though the majority of the songs are acceptable. "Acceptable" - what a shameful word in connection with Samael!

Even when it comes to pretty good (pop) harmonies ('Quasar Waves' is based on a charming, oriental tone sequence), "Solar Soul" remains ironically quite soulless. Overall, I see no possibility to join the ranks of those highly respected reviewers who have given this work an amazing high score. My sad conclusion is: competent musicians have recorded an album full of electronic gimmicks and monotonous, not very charismatic vocals whose totality is less than the sum of its parts. Evaluating each piece individually would perhaps result in a higher rating than indicated above. But on the long haul, it's just tiring and a bit limp.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10

Review by Yener on May 30, 2019.

If there’s one thing this world doesn’t need more of, it’s brutal death metal bands. Having been a fan of the genre for more than half of my life, it takes quite an effort to get these old ears interested in more than two songs back to back. The genre as a whole has been populated with half assed bands formed simply to be “brutal”, and let’s face it, most of them don’t bring anything new to the table. Not only that, but the songwriting is boring and uninspired.

Thankfully, I can’t say the same thing about Tombthroat. I have no idea how I stumbled upon these guys, but I’m glad I did. And despite having somewhat of a silly band name, the music on display here is pretty superior to a lot of what’s being released today.

It’s obvious that these guys can play. Always a big bonus. It’s also nice that they’ve brought back traditional, old school death metal riffs. Unlike say, Putridity – who’s riff patterns seem to be chug, chug, squeal, chug, chug, sqeal for 30 minutes, these guys (guitarists Björn Köppler and Peter Hildenbrand) have thankfully taken the time to conjur up some great, memorable riffs. Add to that the superb drumming of Alexander Wenz, and already more than half the battle is won.

The vocals of Ralf Keitel are meaty and lack nothing in the power department and sounds like cross between Glen Benton and old Chris Barnes – you know, back when he could sing. The bass? Come on, it’s a death metal album – the bass is usually lost on these things. But amazingly, it cuts through here quite nicely, and for the most part, you can hear bassist Volker Rietz following the riffs quite nicely.

Lyrics? I really don’t care. I stopped caring about what death metal bands sing about a long time ago. I’m fairly certain that death, suffering and pain are a part of it. As far as I'm concerned, they're just another instrument. And here, they're used well so I can't fault it.

And while this album isn’t anything ground breaking (and after all, what is?) it’s certainly satisfying when you just want some quality death metal. Songs like “Psychological Disharmonism”, “Eden Apocalypse” and “On the Gallows” are packed with juicy riffs and spectacular performances by all band members.

Another thing to note is the downright awesome production and mix this thing has. The guitars slice and grind like champs, and the drums are loud and clear, with a drum sound I personally just love. The snare especially sounds nice and meaty, making the blasting here that much more satisfying.

Overall, a very solid performance. So solid in fact that I am now interested in their back catalogue. It will be interesting to see how this band have progressed over time. And they’re from Germany. They should tour with Defeated Sanity or something. Now that would be a fucking mosh pit to remember.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10