Reviews list for Satan (GBR) - Court in the Act (1983)

Not sure why I never got around to listening to Satan, they're really good. Some very juicy fun riffs to really head bang to. The guitar solos were the best part. I really enjoyed No Turning Back and The Ritual and put both on my metal playlist. If I did have a complaint I would say the vocals are pushed back in the mix so I can't hear them as strongly. I do listen on spotify streaming so maybe that could be a reason for it but oddly after listening to the full release it actually ended up adding to the charm. I don't think there was a bad song on the joint, and for an '83 release this should definitely be talked about in early metal releases that led to heavier and inspirational music. Definitely need to check more of these guys out.

Here's an odd one.  I have heard of Satan of course but never really been swayed by the praise that surrounds them.  So having stumbled across this album again today as part of my current clan challenge I didn't have high hopes.  The band name is synonymous with the NWOBHM movement of course and rightly so, there's some hi-octane galloping tunes on here for sure.  There's also obvious talent across the group with the vocals of Brian Ross and dual guitar attack of Russ Tippins and Steve Ramsey being of particular note.

Somehow though, it is still a bit dull.  This may be down to the production or mixing job as opposed to the actual band themselves as somehow it sounds like the album was recorded at two different levels. So the guitars are rampant, high in the mix, clear and audible for all to hear as they fire of super-charged licks and riffs.  However, the rest of the instrumentation sounds like it was tracked from a different studio.  If sounds stifled or muffled and it is only really the piercing cries of Ross that usually manage to permeate the low ceiling and sound like they are on the same record as the guitars.

It makes for a very disjointed sounding record.  Literally it feels like two mates in one of them's bedroom playing guitar well over an otherwise half decent record because they haven't got anything to satisfy that particular six string itch they have both got.  It is a genuine shame the album sounds like this as despite the sound issues (to my ears at least) the band has a real sense of being full of energy and being eager to impress.

If you can deal with the sound then you are probably in for an enjoyable NWOBHM experience - and I did listen to this via YouTube so that won't have helped most certainly - given they have the content and credentials most definitely.  For me though the album doesn't hit the spot and feels muddled despite its strong points.

When we talk about the earliest thrash metal, 1983 is often cited as a birth year thanks to a few key releases: Metallica's Kill 'em All, Slayer's Show No Mercy, maybe Exciter's Heavy Metal Maniac too. I'd add Satan's Court in the Act into that mix, maybe not as a strictly "thrash metal album", but undoubtedly as an illustration of the emerging sound and an influence on some later bands.

At the core it might be classic heavy metal, but here Satan are clearly showing an increased focus on sharpened speed and aggression. It might not be overly progressive as an album, but it can still feel well ahead of its time, even sounding like a precursor to later mergers of power metal and thrash together.

All that genre waffle out of the way, it should come as no surprise that the dominate characteristic here is the sheer force with which all this is delivered. There's a wild sense of abandon, the very sort of thing that would help thrash define itself from speed metal, a hunger for refined discordance, an application of molten riffs to help push forward the whole atmosphere of rebellious carnage. Just listen to the mad dancing jig of "The Ritual" or the machinegun pace of "Trial By Fire" or "Break Free".

The only real thing holding Court in the Act back is the less refined production. You can tell what's under the surface is quality stuff, but it can at times sound muffled and sadly restrained by this point. Nevertheless, Court in the Act is a worthy investment for anyone looking for some traditional metal with a decidedly sharp, aggressive edge, discarding most of the genre's rock roots in favour of something entirely metallic.

Choice cuts: Trial By Fire, The Ritual, Blades of Steel