I want to like Satan’s Host’s Satanic Grimoire.  I really do.  Granted, it’s pretty much straightforward black/death metal, but the riffs are pretty solid, the production is nice, and the music is pretty fun.  But, somehow, I can’t fully bring myself to embrace it.

So, what’s the deal, then?  Well, as I mentioned before, the individual sound is quite solid.  The production is remarkably crisp, allowing the guitars and vocals to come forth in full clarity, although there’s not a hint of bass to be found.  Neither of these are particularly unique, but they’re skilled at what they do, the latter sticking to a straightforward midrange growl with the occasional demonic whisper and the former alternating between soaring tremolo-picked black metal and chaotic, equally tremolo-picked death metal riffs, with a few hard rock or power metal riffs thrown in there for good measure. 

Yeah, power metal.  Back in the day, Satan’s Host played power metal, later reforming in the ‘90s as a black/death metal band, following a sort of inverse-Dragonforce arc.  The overall power influence here is fairly weak, but every once in a while it manifests itself, most notably in the track “Metal From Hell. . . 22nd Century”, which, as far as I can tell, is a reprise of the titular song from their first album.  It’s probably my favorite song of the bunch, actually.  Catchy as hell, it’s five minutes of stupid, head-banging fun, which is really all you want from metal sometimes.

What with all the good points, why am I iffy on the rest of the album, then?  As is so often the case, the songwriting gets to me.  Sure, the actual riffs are usually enjoyable, but the way they’re strung together hamstrings them.  The coherency just isn’t quite there, and even when it is, many of the songs just go on too long.  The album’s over an hour in running length, and it could really stand to be about half that.  As it is, the music meanders too much, the songs lose focus, and I get bored.  In addition, there’s not a whole lot that’s memorable here, other than the aforementioned “Metal From Hell”.  There really aren’t any riffs, moods, or vocal parts that stick with me that much.  And, in the end, that’s pretty damning.

Much of my distaste may stem from my leeriness towards death metal.  I’ll admit that I’m a black metal fan at heart, so if you can’t stand the skill-less repetition found in black metal and really value quality playing and virtuosity, as well as chaotic, intense music, feel free to inflate the score by a point or two.  However, if you prefer atmospheric music with really tight songwriting, approach this with some caution.  Ultimately, though, the album doesn’t do anything terribly original, so consider how much you like this kind of music before you buy.  If you run across it somewhere and you’ve got spare cash, pick it up; you’ll have fun with it.  I wouldn’t really go out of your way to procure a copy, though, as it really doesn’t have that extra edge to make it worth seeking out.