Weekly album: Samael - Ceremony of Opposites

Samael - Ceremony of Opposites

1994 / Black metal

1. Black Trip

2. Celebration of the Fourth

3. Son of Earth

4. 'Till We Meet Again

5. Mask of the Death

6. Baphomet's Throne

7. Flagellation

8. Crown

9. To Our Martyrs

10. Ceremony of Opposites

Orostider: Switzerland isn't home to a large black metal scene, but Swiss black metal bands have played a large role in the global black metal scene. Celtic Frost and Hellhammer paved the way during the 80's and while the rest of the European scene focused on the rawer execution of black metal, Samael started to forge something that would be known as their unique sound.

'Worship Him', the first Samael album, was released in 1991 and even though it isn't mentioned often, it actually offers quite a slab of black metal of the era. The next album 'Blood Ritual' had an increased amount of death metal elements and should be seen as blackened death metal album. 'Blood Ritual' may be my lesser favourite of these two, but it had some signs of what was still coming.

'Ceremony of Opposites' is seen as the Samael album where they found their unique industrial black metal sound. Whereas the rest of the scene kept the tempos high, Samael found their calling in massive slower pace songs that feature both black and death metal riffs. The material shouldn't be thought to be even near to bestial black metal, which was the dominant form of blackened death metal in the early 90's. One could think that 'Ceremony of Opposites' is bashed due to its unorthodoxy, but instead of getting dirt thrown on it, it's almost considered a classic. An underrated classic for sure.

The album may not be what second wave black metal purists seek, but that doesn't explain the lack of credit. Vorph's vocals itself separate Samael from other black metal bands of the era. Not to mention their electronic era, which didn't suck and the utter heaviness of their songs. 

I would recommend this album to almost anyone into heavier forms of metal, but I seriously recommend listening to their whole discography to actually realize the way Samael kept refining their sound.

Favourite song: 'Baphomet's Throne'

tp5170: I got originally acquainted with Samael through their later releases and it was only much later when I discovered that they had started out as black metal band. In the end it turned out that that their black metal albums are also kind of great, and it really amazes me how little praise those releases get considering how solid all of those actually are and how early they were released - we are talking about the period when the whole genre barely existed. 

But out of those original three black metal albums, I think it's the 'Ceremony of Opposites' that stands out the most. It offers a straightforward, but polished BM experience (it was after all released in 1994 so this shouldn't really surprise anyone), but what's special about it is that you can find for the first time some of those elements that later became the trademark of the band. If you have ever listened to Samael's later albums you'll know exactly what I am talking about and if you haven't then you probably should. In my eyes 'Ceremony of Opposites' goes highly recommended for every fan of BM or Samael.

Favourite song: 'Crown'

btcarey: Samael’s 1994 release “Ceremony of Opposites” showcases the band’s distinct take on black metal, proving that speed is not essential in making a good album in the genre. While several bands from this era were doing something similar, “Ceremony of Opposites” is probably one of the heaviest examples I’ve ever heard. I expect this is due to the influences from the relatively seasoned death metal genre of that era. When bands from the early black metal scene in Norway, like Darkthrone, were dumping their death metal roots, Samael honed them into a much heavier form of the budding genre (while maintaining a bit of production value as well). This can be seen in many aspects of “Ceremony of Opposites”, whether it’s the very riff-oriented songwriting or the quasi-death metal barked vocals found in albums like God Dethroned’s “Toxic Touch”.

This is a perfect album from people who like a bit heavier black metal album or a bit blacker death metal album. All in all this is a good listen and easily worth a few spins.