Above (Samael album)
| Above | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Samael | ||||
| Released | March 6, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Little Rock Studio, Switzerland | |||
| Genre | Black metal, industrial metal | |||
| Length | 42:04 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Xy | |||
| Samael chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Sputnikmusic | [2] |
Above is the eighth studio album from the heavy metal band Samael, released in March, 2009.
History
Earlier in 2009 the band began promoting a virtual death metal band from their Myspace profile. The band was called "Above" and featured computer-designed band members in a virtual world, whose lyrics and songs were written by Samael. Later through Myspace, the band announced that they would be taking their side-project Above and turning it into their newest Samael album.
Commenting on the album, Vorph said:
"After 20 years, we've tried to do an album that would represent what SAMAEL is all about and we did 'Solar Soul'. We feel now it is the right time to [remind] the people where we come from and that's exactly what 'Above' will do. It is like an enhanced version of our three or four first albums, maybe the missing link between 'Ceremony of Opposites' and 'Passage'. With the 'Era One' project we've tried to work on different influences; with 'Above' we stripped everything down."[3]
Track listing
(Copyright Prophecies Publishing)
All music composed by Vorph and Xy, except "Dark Side", entirely by Vorph.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Under One Flag" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Virtual War" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Polygames" | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Earth Country" | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Illumination" | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Black Hole" | 3:36 |
| 7. | "In There" | 4:01 |
| 8. | "Dark Side" | 2:56 |
| 9. | "God's Snake" | 4:07 |
| 10. | "On the Top of It All" | 4:42 |
| 11. | "Black Hole (Verso Mix)" | 3:34 |
Notes
The track "Dark Side" is a reworked version of "The Black Face" from the album Worship Him.
Personnel
- Vorph: Vocals, guitars
- Makro: Guitars
- Masmiseîm: Bass
- Xy: Drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, programming
Production
- Arranged by Samael
- Produced by Xy
- Recorded & engineered by Kris Fredriksson
- Mixed by Fredrik Nordström
- Mastered by Erik Broheden
References
- ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Review: Above". Allmusic. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
- ↑ Spencer, Trey. Above review. Sputnikmusic.com. March 9, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ↑ "Samael: Above Side Project Changes to the New Album". Metal-Temple.com. December 1, 2008. Archived from the original on March 2, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
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