Early Samhain wasn't particularly good (Initium - Samhain)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Initium - Samhain
Date:	24/02/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Still some decent tracks

Disadvantages: Largely disappointing with a raw but experimental feel

Samhain's first album Initium has a raw sound to it, again like their masterpiece November Coming Fire - it is fairly poorly recorded..never quite sure if that was intentional, you'd think they'd have some money following the success of The Misfits.

Black Dream is probably their punkiest number with a fast and aggressive riff only occasionally broken for some darker sounding thoughtfulness once
at the beginning and at the end. The bass throughout is pretty awesome but largely I find the album a bit disappointed, there's a bit too much chanting and the Evil Elvis tends to whail a little too much at times.

The subject matter is pretty dark, probably the darkest stuff Danzig ever wrote. It seems sloppily put together though and there are a lot of tracks which don't really stand out at all (Howl, Shift, Macabre), Archangel is probably the catchiest and slowest track on the album and has quite a strong touch of The Ramones about it.

This album has a "we're experimenting as a band" feel to it and you get the feeling that the band could have gone in a different direction at this time as they border almost on a Mercyful Fate sound occasionally.

Unless you are a huge Danzig/Misfits/Samhain fan - I recommend skipping this album and go straight for November Coming Fire, there's too much mediocrity on this album.

1. Initium
2. Samhain
3. Black Dream
4. All Murder All Guts All Fun
5. Macabre
6. He Who Cannot Be Named
7. Horror Biz
8. Shift
9. Howl
10. Archangel

Summary: Mediocre