Samael (band)

S A M A E L
Background information
Origin	Sion, Switzerland
Genres	Industrial metal, black metal, symphonic metal, electronic metal
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Osmose Productions, Century Media, Nuclear Blast, Galactical
Associated acts	Alastis
Website	www.samael.info
Members	Vorph Xy Drop Makro
Past members	Pat Charvet Rodolphe H Kaos Mas

Samael is a Swiss heavy metal band formed in 1987 in Sion, Switzerland.

Biography

Although much of their music from the mid-1990s onwards has incorporated electronic sounds which would best define their genre as industrial metal, they are an early black metal band and an innovator for post-black metal styles.

Samael released their first album Worship Him in 1991 on French record label Osmose Productions; the following year they signed a multi-records deal with Century Media Records and released their second album Blood Ritual.

In early 1994, their 3rd album Ceremony of Opposites was on the market. Their music was now oriented toward industrial-sounds with addition of keyboards and use of samples. This album earned them a larger audience outside Europe, particularly in Latin America.

Their album Passage (1996) saw them gather a larger audience, with the music video for the song "Jupiterian Vibe" getting airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball. A second edition was later released with a bonus disk, done solely by keyboardist Xy and titled "Xytras", containing 10 entirely instrumental remixes featuring classical piano.

After the release of Eternal - recorded and mixed in Mountain studio by David Richard (1999), Samael would not renew their contract with Century Media.

In 2004, Reign of Light was released through the band's own imprint Galactical Records. Two singles were taken from that album, "Telepath" - from which a video clip was shot and "On Earth" - including a cover of Depeche Mode's "I Feel You".

In 2006, the electronica project Era One (featuring Vorph and Xy) was released on Century Media Records. It includes a bonus disc, "Lesson in Magic No. 1", which again is entirely instrumental and done by keyboardist Xy. The album itself was recorded in 2001, and the bonus disc a year later. Both were rearranged and remixed in 2005.

In June 2007, they released the album Solar Soul, with songs as "Solar Soul", "Slavocracy" or "AVE!" It summed up and combined many of the styles of their previous albums since Passage.^[1]

On March 6, 2009, Samael released Above, a full-length album described as a tribute to Samael's roots.

In June 2010, Samael began recording demos for the next album.^[2] The album's first single, titled Antigod was released on November 19, 2010.^[3] The album, titled Lux Mundi (which translates as "Light of the World"), was released April 29, 2011 in Europe and May 3, 2011 in North America.^[4] The same month they shot a video clip for the song "Luxferre" in Sweden with director Patric Ulaeus.

Personnel

Samael logo

Members

Current members

• Michael "Vorph" Locher – vocals, guitar (1987–present)
• Alexandre "Xytras" Locher – drums (1988–1994), drum programming, keyboards, samples (1995–present)
• Marco "Makro" Rivao – guitar (2002–present)
• Thomas "Drop" Betrisey – bass (2015–present)

Former members

• Pat Charvet — drums (1987–1988)
• Rodolphe H. — keyboards, samples (1993–1996)
• Kaos — guitar (1996–2002)
• Christophe "Mas" Mermod – bass (1991–2015)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions			Sales
		FRA [5]	SWI [6]	GER [7]
Worship Him	Released: April 1, 1991 Label: Osmose Productions Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download	—	—	—
Blood Ritual	Released: December 1, 1992 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download[8]	—	—	—
Ceremony of Opposites	Released: February 18, 1994 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download[9]	—	—	—	US: 13,581+[10]
Passage	Released: September 19, 1996 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download[11]	—	—	84	US: 11,788+[10]
Eternal	Released: July 19, 1999 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD, LP, CS, digital download[12]	—	—	59
Reign of Light	Released: October 11, 2004 Label: Galactical, Regain Records Formats: CD, CD+DVD, CS, LP, digital download[13]	153	66	—
Era One	Released: January 27, 2006 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD, digital download[14]	—	—	—
Solar Soul	Released: June 1, 2007 Label: Galactical, Nuclear Blast Formats: CD, LP, digital download[15]	158	41	—
Above	Released: March 6, 2009 Label: Galactical, Nuclear Blast Formats: CD, LP, digital download[16]	145	37	99
Lux Mundi	Released: April 29, 2011 Label: Galactical, Nuclear Blast Formats: CD, LP, digital download[17]	—	46	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
Recordings '88 - '89	Released: 1989 Label: Self-released Formats: CS
1987-1992	Released: November 28, 1994 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD
Since the Creation...	Released: December 8, 2003 Label: Century Media Records Formats: LP (BOX)
Aeonics - An Anthology	Released: February 26, 2007 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD
Medieval Prophecy	Released: October 28, 2008 Label: Necrosound Records Formats: CD
A Decade in Hell	Released: November 22, 2010 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD (BOX)

EPs

Title	Album details
Medieval Prophecy	Released: December 1988 Label: Necrosound Formats: LP
Rebellion	Released: May 23, 1995 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD
Exodus	Released: June 2, 1998 Label: Century Media Records Formats: CD
Telepath	Released: September 27, 2004 Label: Galactical Formats: CD
On Earth	Released: June 13, 2005 Label: Galactical Formats: CD
Antigod	Released: November 19, 2010 Label: Nuclear Blast Formats: CD, digital download[18]

Video albums

Title	Album details
Black Trip	Released: June 17, 2003 Label: Century Media Records Formats: DVD

Music videos

Year	Title	Directed	Album
1994	"Baphomet's Throne"	—	Ceremony Of Opposites
1996	"Jupiterian Vibe"	—	Passage
	"Rain"
1999	"Infra Galaxia"	—	Eternal
2004	"Telepath"	—	Reign Of Light
2007	"Slavocracy"[19]	—	Solar Soul
2009	"Black Hole"	Sergeï Ulyanov[20]	Above
2011	"Luxferre"[20]	Patric Ullaeus	Lux Mundi

References

1. "Last.fm". Last.fm. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
2. пНЛЮМ оЮРПЮЬНБ - 2010-06-27 10:02:21 (2010-06-27). "SAMAEL Recording Demos For Next Album". Headbanger.ru. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
3. "Metalunderground.com". Metalunderground.com. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
4. "Roadrunnerrecords.com". Roadrunnerrecords.com. 2011-03-07. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
5. http://lescharts.com/search.asp?search=samael&cat=a
6. http://hitparade.ch/search.asp?search=samael&cat=a
7. http://www.musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/samael/longplay
8. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blood-ritual/id583620978
9. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ceremony-of-opposites/id583620957
10. http://www.metalsludge.tv/?p=30341
11. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/passage/id583620941
12. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/eternal-re-issue/id592910328
13. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/reign-of-light/id328958053
14. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/era-one/id583620940
15. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/solar-soul/id253778044
16. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/above-exclusive-bonus-version/id309198113
17. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/lux-mundi/id596875731
18. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/antigod-ep/id597201994
19. https://itunes.apple.com/mt/music-video/slavocracy/id286214718
20. http://www.nuclearblast.de/fr/label/music/band/news/details/414895.71059.samael-luxferre-video-clip-released.html

External links

• Official website
• Facebook page
• Samael on MySpace