By: John McLaughlin
Nightsatan | facebook | bandcamp |
Released on May 9, 2014 via Svart Records
Normally, as a music reviewer, I get pissed off at misleading genre tags. The ability to accurately describe one’s creations is among the most valuable marketing tools a musician can have, and those who lack it will have their work cut out for them when it comes time to convince bloggers and journalists to listen to that self-released album they worked so hard on. Every musician wants to believe they’d stumbled upon a sound that’s indescribable, but none of them actually have.
In the case of Nightsatan, their press release was misleading and their genre tag inaccurate, but I’m willing to forgive them. The Finnish trio’s music was described as “post-apocalyptic laser metal”, a description so utterly insane – especially when paired with that band name – that I absolutely had to check it out. And, while the “post-apocalyptic laser” part of that description could be accurate, there’s not much that’s “metal” about the synthesizer-dominated Nightsatan and the Loops of Doom, save an occasional guitar harmony. I’d be angry about it if the album wasn’t so good.
The soundtrack to a short sci-fi film of the same name, Nightsatan and the Loops of Doom is full of lush synthesized soundscapes and electronic drums that sound like they were ripped straight out of 1982. Do you dig the theme song from Knight Rider? You’ll dig this at least as much, but don’t think that Loops of Doom gets by only on nostalgia, because it’s extremely well-composed with a very chilling atmosphere. The band’s Facebook page lists Goblin, Blizaro, Kraftwerk, and the film Escape From New York as Liked by the group, all of which sum up how the album sounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled something from Vangelis as well, and if you’re looking for a more modern point of reference, I would use Zombi, though Nightsatan’s sound is a touch slicker. Some of the melodic ideas are certainly reminiscent of the “metal” tag the band claims, though the instrumentation keeps me from classifying it as such.
Loops of Doom would be the perfect accompaniment to a cheesy 80’s sci-fi B movie, and – not at all coincidentally – that’s exactly what it is, except that the movie was actually produced in 2014. The band members play the roles post-apocalyptic adventurers on a desolate world, whose primary goal is to save a violent, naked, damsel in not-so-much-distress from a sinister gender-ambiguous warlord, all so that drummer Inhalator II can get laid. The shameless cheese of the film is gloriously entertaining, and the band’s music itself plays a crucial role in saving the girl from the titular “loops of doom.”
The film is certainly worth watching, but Nightsatan and the Loops of Doom is a very strong standalone album even outside of the context of the movie. If you’re looking for something that’s a bit chilled-out and atmospheric while still being melodically intricate and exciting in parts, you’ll want to check this out.
