Creatively captivating in All These Horrors 

With most of their other work consisting of split records, Grenoble, France’s SATAN are indulging in their interest with black metal in the band’s third full-length album, Toutes Ces Horreurs (All These Horrors). This 12 track, 34-minute journey will engage people from start to finish all while appreciating the instrumentation and surrealist style. 

Out of all the tracks, the opener and closer stand out the most for being different from the rest. The opener, “Confiture Pour Cochons,” comes across like spoken word which is a little jarring for the first track, but also is intriguing. The instrumentation used also separates it from the rest of the album because of the blaring brass coming through. The band has been known to incorporate instruments such as the saxophone, trumpet, clarinet and even an Australian wind instrument. 

“Lève-Toi Et Rampe,” the last track, stands out due to the lack of lyrics which only occurs on one other song that appears as a drum solo (“L’Ennemi Déclaré”). Listeners are left on a foreboding feeling as all that one hears is ominous sounds that produce goosebumps for four minutes. While “L’Ennemi Déclaré,” does not contain any lyrics, it acts as drum solo and it continues from the ending of the previous track, “Zone D’Inconfort.” 

From the second track, “La Guerre Lente,” people get the real feel for what most of the album is like. Contrasting the first track, this one exudes what fans would expect in black metal with heavy instrumentation with the guitar and drums almost overshadowing the vocals. In the end, the vocals and instrumentation work together to deliver great tracks without one part falling in the background.   

For SATAN’s third full-length album, listeners really get a feel for what the band can do and where they are headed. Toutes Ces Horreurs is captivating from start to finish and the band’s passion and interest in black metal come through in spades. With creative uses of instrumentation and utilizing their vocals in different ways from spoken word, clear singing, chanting and more, people will find a lot to grab their attention.