Passage (Samael album)
Passage is the fourth album by Swiss industrial metal band Samael, released on 19 August 1996 through Century Media.[1]
| Passage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 August 1996[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Woodhouse Studios (Hagen, Germany)[2] | |||
| Genre | Symphonic black metal, industrial metal | |||
| Length | 42:17 | |||
| Label | Century Media | |||
| Producer | Waldemar Sorychta | |||
| Samael chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Passage | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Rock Hard | 9.5/10[4] |
| Sputnikmusic | [5] |
On this album, the band opted for more intensive use of keyboards and industrial sounds, drifting from their black metal roots and progressing in a different direction. Lyrically the band abandoned satanic themes and veered more towards the occult and the cosmic.
While it differs from its predecessors, Passage can be credited for thrusting Samael from the underground scene and giving the band a much larger international audience.
The album was originally recorded with a 17-song track list but was later cut down to 11. The remaining songs can be found on the album Exodus. A second edition was later offered containing 10 classical piano compositions from the album on a second disk.
In 2007, a remastered, re-packaged, special edition was released containing the album's original 17 song track list.
Over a decade after its original release is still considered by many to be a pillar in the black/industrial metal genre.
A video for "Jupiterian Vibe" received regular airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Vorph; all music is composed by Xy
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rain" | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Shining Kingdom" | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Angel's Decay" | 3:37 |
| 4. | "My Saviour" | 4:09 |
| 5. | "Jupiterian Vibe" | 3:23 |
| 6. | "The Ones Who Came Before" | 3:42 |
| 7. | "Liquid Soul Dimension" | 3:42 |
| 8. | "Moonskin" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Born Under Saturn" | 4:18 |
| 10. | "Chosen Race" | 4:08 |
| 11. | "A Man in Your Head" | 3:43 |
Personnel
Samael
- Vorph – vocals, guitar
- Kaos – guitar
- Masmiseîm – bass
- Xy – keyboard, synthesizer, live & programmed drums
Technical personnel
- Waldemar Sorychta – production, engineering
Chart positions
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[6] | 84 |
References
- "Samael - Passage Release Details". centurymedia.com. Century Media. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- "Samael - Passage". samael.info. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- Rivadavia, Eduardo. Samael: Passage at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- Mühlmann, Wolf-Rüdiger (1996). "Samael: Passage". Rock Hard (in German). Rock Hard Verlags- und Handels- GmbH (112). ISSN 1437-8140. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
- Willie (February 7, 2008). "Review: Samael – Passage". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 16 October 2016.