Long-running heavy metal legends, Satan, recently announced their new studio album, “Songs in Crimson”, set for release on September 13th, 2024, via Metal Blade Records. Today, they are pleased to launch the record’s preorders.
Satan’s history is storied, their albums and incendiary live shows, iconic. The Newcastle, England-bred lineup may quip that their career has been “forty-four years of prolonged mayhem with a twenty-year lunch break” — forming in 1980, eventually pausing before reuniting in 2011 — but circa 2024 finds the band thriving, writing, recording, and touring at the top of their game.
Proof positive is their seventh studio album, and third for Metal Blade, “Songs in Crimson”. If 2022’s “Earth Infernal” album was brutal, up-tempo and with loud guitars, guitarist Russ Tippins calls “Songs in Crimson” concise. “It’s more to-the-point and gets there quicker. One of the reasons behind the album title is that this record is very ‘song’ focused. There’s more punch this time around. Each chorus speaks for itself”.
Satan rails against characterless, metronomic, and “cut and paste music on a digital dog leash”. Recording in the 21st century has become no more than a series of binary code. “Call me reactionary”, says Tippins, “and maybe I am, but every bone in my body wants to rebel against the incoming tide of ones and zeros”. With influences from King Crimson to Mercyful Fate, Satan’s own stylings remain unique, the band’s NWOBHM origins a springboard for musical and lyrical creativity, commentary, and nonconformity.
While “Songs in Crimson” features lyrics including “a once-great nation is going down” and “this is the end of an era”, Satan offers no quick fix. “There is always hope; solutions are not for us musicians to proclaim”, Tippins believes. “Each song has its own different theme. While there is no title track as such, the song ‘Deadly Crimson’, which is an anti-capitalism narrative, is as close as it gets to that. As a concept, making money from money is fatally flawed in that it depends on constant growth”, Tippins says. “But constant growth is obviously impossible; a conveyor belt of sacrificial lambs”.
Honed by years of collaboration, brotherhood and love, Satan’s chemistry is unbreakable. “We played at a metal festival where the headlining band had zero original members”, Tippins says. “I cannot get my head around that, though I admire their bravery. We are the genuine article. We did not reunite just to trade on past glory”, he concludes. “If you want nostalgia, this is not the band for you. We look only ahead and always will”.
If 1983’s “Court in the Act” started Satan’s aural journey, and 2018’s “Cruel Magic” was a game-changer, where does “Songs in Crimson” stand in Satan’s heavy discography? “The goal is to further consolidate the style we’ve established, the pathway we’ve been on since the reunion”, Tippins says. “Part of that style is that each release must have something that sets it apart from its predecessors”.
“Songs in Crimson” was produced by the band and Dave Curle of First Avenue Studios who also engineered, mixed, and mastered the record.
“Songs in Crimson” will be released on jewelcase CD (USA), digipak CD (EU) and digital formats as well as spined sleeve vinyl with insert, poster, and download card in the following color variants:
• Transparent Pigeon Blue Marbled (US)
• 180g Black (EU)
• Dark Crimson Red Marbled (EU)
• Steel Grey Marbled (EU – Ltd. 500)
• Pale Yellow Marbled (EU – Ltd. 300)
• Clear w/ Red & White Splatter (EU – Ltd. 300)
• Clear w/ Black, Red & Gold Splatter (Ltd. 200 – Excl. Band Edition)
Pre-order “Songs in Crimson” here.
Tracklist:
1. Frantic Zero
2. Era (The Day Will Come)
3. Whore of Babylon
4. Sacramental Rites
5. Martyrdom
6. Turn the Tide
7. Captives
8. Curse in Disguise
9. Truth Bullet
10. Deadly Crimson
UK & Irleand Tour Dates 2024:
9/04/2024 The Bread Shed – Manchester, UK
9/05/2024 The Cluny – Newcastle, UK
9/06/2024 The Flying Duck – Glasgow, UK
9/07/2024 Voodoo – Belfast, IE
9/08/2024 Grand Social – Dublin, IE
9/11/2024 Boston Music Room – London, UK
9/12/2024 Daltons – Brighton, UK
9/14/2024 Pyrenean Warriors Open Air – Torreilles, FR*
(w/ Seven Sisters)
* (Satan only)
European Tour Dates 2024:
9/15/2024 Metalitalia Festival – Milan, IT
9/16/2024 Backstage – Muenchen, DE
9/17/2024 Klub Mocvara – Zagreb, HR
9/18/2024 Escape – Wien, AT
9/19/2024 Steel City Sorcery – Linz, AT
9/20/2024 Rockclub Nordbayern – Selb, DE
9/21/2024 Odessa – Warsaw, PL
9/22/2024 Barrak – Ostrava, CZ
9/23/2024 Der Hirsch – Nurnberg, DE
9/24/2024 Trompete – Bochum, DE
9/25/2024 MTS – Oldenburg, DE
9/26/2024 Beta – Copenhagen, DK
9/27/2024 Bambi Galore – Hamburg, DE
9/28/2024 JZ Stricker – Bielefeld, DE
9/29/2024 Asgaard – Gent, BE
9/30/2024 Little Devil – Tilburg, NL
(w/ Haunt, Hellfire)
Line-up:
Brian Ross – Vocals
Russ Tippins – Guitar
Steve Ramsey – Guitar
Graeme English – Bass
Sean Taylor – Drums
Weblinks:
www.satanmusic.com
www.facebook.com/officialsatanpage
