What makes Satanic Rites by Hellhammer notable?

'Satanic Rites' is significant for its unfiltered exploration of dark themes, influencing countless bands within the black and death metal genres. Its crude production and blasphemous imagery sparked controversy and helped establish Hellhammer as a pivotal band in extreme music history. Released on December 24, 1983, 'Satanic Rites' was Hellhammer's final recording before disbanding. This album followed their earlier EP 'Apocalyptic Raids' and solidified their reputation in the underground metal scene, laying groundwork for the later development of black metal.

How many songs are on Satanic Rites?

Satanic Rites has 12 tracks, running approximately 46 minutes.

Satanic Rites

Hellhammer · 1983

46 min · 12 tracks · black metal

A raw and aggressive sonic assault blending black, death, and speed metal with dark, occult themes.

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Top tracks — play these first

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Messiah — This track encapsulates the band's raw energy and thematic focus on darkness and chaos, making it a cornerstone of their sound.
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Triumph of Death — An epic centerpiece, this track showcases the band's ability to blend tempo changes with haunting melodies, embodying the essence of early black metal.
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Satanic Rites — The title track serves as a manifesto of the band's ethos, featuring relentless riffs that highlight their unapologetic embrace of satanic imagery.

Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

42 /100

Lowland

Higher than 1% of albums we've rated

The album's raw sound and aggressive themes contribute to its distinct place in early black metal.

What we noticed

The album opens with a brief intro that sets a dark tone, followed by tracks that maintain a relentless tempo and aggressive guitar riffs.
The production is raw and unpolished, emphasizing the harshness of the vocals and instrumentation throughout the record.

Composition 25% of the score: 6/10
Craft 20% of the score: 5/10
Durability 25% of the score: 4/10
Distinctiveness 18% of the score: 7/10
Sequencing 12% of the score: 6/10

Influence 6/10

Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

1 Intro 0:57
2 Messiah 4:22
3 The Third of the Storms (Evoked Damnation) 3:04
4 Buried and Forgotten 6:04
5 Maniac 3:48
6 Eurynomos 3:09
7 Triumph of Death 7:02
8 Revelations of Doom 3:05
9 Reaper 2:30
10 Satanic Rites 7:18
11 Crucifixion 2:46
12 Outro 2:01

What to play next

Listen next

Triumph of Death

1983

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Death Fiend

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Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata