Though Satan is regarded as one of the better metal bands to
emerge from England after the peak of the NWOBHM, theirs is really
a case of "deserved better".
Their style of technical power metal was not in vogue in their
country at the time, and their very name was misrepresentative of
their style and image, so much so that they felt the
need to change it no less than three times,
in a constant struggle to define themselves.
Rising up through the British local scene in the early 80's, they
acquired standout vocalist Brian Ross from
Blitzkrieg
in time for their excellent debut, Court In The Act.
But this formation did not last long, as two years later the
band changed to
Blind Fury with a new vocalist, releasing one album under that name
that is noticeably different in style from anything else they'd
done before or since.
Back to Satan two years later, another vocalist change, and in 1987
the fine Suspended Sentence album was released.
Then, they put the Satan name to rest again, keeping the
same lineup but changing to
Pariah,
where they survived for a few more years before giving it up.
Ross revived his old band Blitzkrieg,
while the guitarists and bassist later went on to
Skyclad.
Finally, in 2011 the band came back together for a few one-off
shows, and are once again the original Satan, with the
Life Sentence album released in 2013.
Recent album: Songs In Crimson,
released on September 13, 2024.
