Satanikattack

Formed in 2009, Satanika is one Italy's strongest and most active thrash/black/death metal bands. The band recently attracted the attention of the legendary Osmose Productions, who released the band's fourth full length album, Total Inferno in the autumn of 2015. Satanika has a relatively large discography, belying the fact that they've only been around for few years, with six EP's, a compilation and a split making it a grand total of twelve releases in six years. Despite the band's proactive nature, they've managed to create a convincing brand of satanic blackened death thrash that more than holds its own in an increasingly crowded niche sub genre.

The band's debut album, Satanikattack, was originally released in March 2011 through Austral Hate Productions and Iron Shield Records. The album was reissued once in 2013 through Instrumetal Trade Records and again in 2015 through Cold Raw Records as a limited run of sixty hand-numbered copies. While the music does display Satanika's rampant blackened thrashing, it's not quite as furious as their present day material. That doesn't mean it's not an intense slab of metal, because it sure is, it just doesn't fire on all cylinders like Nightmare or Total Inferno.

Satanika has been steadily adding more death metal influence into their sound over the years. Satanikattack has a bit of that influence, mostly in the form of crunchy, heavy handed riff warfare, but for the most part the album sticks with a fast paced barrage of thrashy progressions and the occasional burst of fiery trem riffing. The rhythm section is thunderous and destructive, offering thick bass lines and frenetic, double bass runs. Cris Pervertor's snarl is vicious, yet there's not quite as much as bite as there should be. It all adds to up to give a glimpse of what Satanika would evolve into, but it clearly shows that the band had a lot of growing to do.


The strongest offerings are rooted in fast paced trem riffing, destructively catchy chord progressions and frenetic percussion like on "Sodomize the Nun" and "Brain Damage". Satanikattack isn't a weak album, but when compared to the band's newer work it really shows just how far these guys have come in the four years since its release. Fans of the band should definitely check this out, but if you're new to the wicked world of Satanika then you should probably start with Nightmare or Total Inferno.