Satureye - Where Flesh And Divinity Collide

Let’s get serious. When it comes to Thrash albums, you more or less know what you’re gonna get: fast, heavy, angry and brief anthems of metal that give you a warm feeling inside. Yes, there is a Thrash fan inside us all that yearns for that quick, frantic burst that wastes no time in getting its point across before moving on. If you agree with my previous assertions then read on, if not, you are a wimp and a poser and must leave the hall immediately.

Where was I, ah yes, something about a hot cup of Thrash to get your day off to the right start. Since Thrash in and of itself is a fairly limited genre (generally limited to the qualities previously mentioned) you more or less know what you’re gonna get prior to listening. I say this to you because Satureye’s Where Flesh And Divinity Collide is such an album. No new ground covered, but not a whole lot left desired.

Hailing from the proverbial metal motherland of Sweden, Satureye wear their influences on their sleeves. An enjoyable yet slightly dated mix of Slayer and fellow countrymen The Haunted, the album opens up with the comfortable sounding The False Light which more or less gives you a clear indication of what these guys have to offer. Quick riffs and solos over top of equally quick drum work and vocals that lean more towards the growled delivery of old The Haunted than the typical Slayer-esque shouts and screams. Thankfully, Satureye do mix things up in the tempo department rather than having a speedometer that starts at 100 mph. Each of the compositions range from typically fast to refreshingly mid-paced with the more Doom inspired Filled With Dust standing out as the exception in both tempo and slight use of acoustics.

When this album is taken as a debut, it demonstrates a group of musicians who know the history if Thrash like the back of their hands. When taken in terms of where metal is in 2005, it unfortunately comes of sounding dated, leaving the listener feeling like they’ve heard this all before. Regardless, Satureye have established themselves and their obvious abilities with Where Flesh And Divinity Collide, an album that should be seen as a courteous nod to the golden era of Thrash rather than a mere carbon copy of greater works. However, I do hope these guys choose to opt for a greater separation from their influences on their next full-length.