S A M A E L

S A M A E L biography 2017

The Facts :

30 years of constant musical evolution.

Over 100 orginals songs composed and recorded.

Nearly 1000 concerts given around the globe.

S A M A E L resurrected black metal in the early 1990s with the landmark debut «Worship Him»,

introduced symphonic black metal in 1994 with the classic «Ceremony of Opposites» and

pioneered industrial metal with «Passage» in 1996.

The Story :

S A M A E L awakened on the 14th of July 1988 when brothers Xytraguptor and Vorphalack loaded

their musical gear into an atomic bunker.

Rehearsing seven days a week, they soon recorded a couple of tracks and released their selffinanced

7'' «Medieval Prophecy» which infiltrated the underground scene through mail and small

independant distributors.

Two years later, the duet moved to Geneva to record what would become S A M A E L's first album.

Facing refusal from the established recordindustry, the brothers finally inked a deal with the freshly

started label Osmose Production, which released «Worship Him» in April 1991. With the addition

of Masmiseîm on bass, the band played shows in France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Russia and

Switzerland before heading back to studio to record «Blood Ritual» . Their second album became

the first collaboration with Waldemar Sorychta and their first release on the German ever-growing

inprint Century Media.

«Ceremony Of Opposites» was released in February 1994. That album saw S A M A E L taking a

turn in their approach of composition and sharing of duties. Xy got in charge of all the music while

Vorph focused on the lyrical content. In order to perfom that new material on stage, the band

recruited local goth legend Rodolph H to play the keyboards and be part of the line up for two

consecutive years. Three European tours and a first US tour later, the band got back in the studio to

record the mini-album «Rebellion» (1995) before getting back on the road to finish a tour that

ended in Mexico City. This was also the last album with Rudolph as part of the band.

A new sound was slowly taking shape, and the band's line-up saw the addition of a second guitar

player. Kaos joined the band and S A M A E L played eight shows in Europe where they performed

for the first time live with a drummachine. Two new songs, «Shining Kingdom» and «My Saviour»

introduced their upcoming album to the audience. «Passage» was released in August 1996.

After an extensive European headlining tour, the band hit the stage of the most notorious open air

festivals of that era : Dynamo, Wacken, With Full Force and many more. Meanwhile, Xy worked on

a classical interpretation of the album and released it on his own imprint under the name «Xytra´s

Passage». In June 1998, the «Exodus» mini-album was released, giving the band a bit of time to

focus on writing new material.

In Montreux, Switzerland at the world famous Mountain Studios (which today is a Queen museum),

S A M A E L recorded and mixed «Eternal» with late rock producer David Richard. That particular

album took the band on a long journey. Two European and two US headlining tours with two

different line-ups. Kaos left the band, and Makro entered the picture.

The band's performance at Summer Breeze Festival in Germany became the core of the first

S A M A E L DVD release, entitled «Black Trip ».

Xy and Vorph experiment a bit with electronic music before coming back in full force with «Reign

Of Light» (2004). Waldemar Sorychta co-produced the album with Xy, and for the first time the

band used the services of Stefan Glaumann to mix an album. The same team worked on the

following record «Solar Soul» (2007), released worlwide through Nuclear Blast Records.

In March 2009, S A M A E L took everyone by suprise with the release of «Above», a side project

the band had in their drawers for a decade. Having some time between tours, Xy updated that

project and went to Sweden to mix it with renowned metal producer Fredrik Nordström. The result

being atypical, but yet challenging, it was decided to release it as the new S A M A E L album and

sell it as a tribute to the band's early influences. Not everybody understood the concept and reason

within that album, but it nevertheless took the band on an extensive tour through Europe and the

Americas, ending with the band's biggest show to date at Rock al Parque in Bogota, Colombia.

«Antigod», later released as single/mini album, and «Soul Invictus», were the first songs to be

played live before the release of «Lux Mundi» (2011). The album was once again recorded in

Switzerland, and was mixed in England by infamous metal guru Russ Russel. The band made a

strong statement with this album, by bulding a bridge over the 20+ years of the band´s existence,

connecting all the sides, and personalities of the entity known as S A M A E L.

In 2014 Xy took a break from his work with the band and composed a piece of music for the city of

Sion. The project known as «Sedunum» was recorded by an orchestra consisting of over 100

musicians, and played for two consecutive years throughout the summer as a light and sound

spectacle surrounded by the two castles of Sion. Later that year, the band split with bass player Mas,

who was replaced by longtime S A M A E L fan and former Sybreed member Drop.

In 2015, the band revisisted their album «Ceremony Of Opposites» and played the entire album

live while touring Canada, Poland, Russia and playing some of the biggest European festivals.

In the spring of 2016, the band was back in the studio with Waldemar Sorychta, and in July they

mixed their new album in Sweden with Sefan Glaumann. In January 2017, the band inked a

worldwide deal with Napalm Records. «Angel Of Wrath» was the first song to be released as a

download single in June, and it was followed by «Red Planet» and «Black Supremacy»

S A M A E L ´s new album «Hegemony» is relesed on Friday the 13th of October.

Selected discography :

«Worship Him» (1991)

«Blood Ritual» (1992)

«Ceremony Of Opposites» (1994)

«Rebellion» (mini, 1995)

«Passage» (1996)

«Eternal» (1999)

«Black Trip» (DVD, 2003)

«Reign Of Light» (2004)

«Solar Soul» (2007)

«Above» (2009)

«Lux Mundi» (2011)

«Hegemony» (2017)