Satlan - Panacea

London's Satlan formed in 2015, but with members' activities in other bands Panacea is the first real taste of what they have to offer for most of us. An enthralling listen, Satlan take you on several twists and turns throughout their 47-minute exploration into powerful, vintage-sounding heavy rock that draws unapologetically from psychedelia, doom and stoner. Sure, most of the songs are pretty long, but sprinkled with differing sections, musically intelligent ideas and time changes that aren't found too often in the genre, Satlan have indisputable prog rock leanings. It adds a real dose of ambitiousness to their recognisable, yet unique sound. Fronted by Soozi Chameleone (ex-Dead Witches), Satlan are now a must-know band for any self-respecting doomhead - and here's why...

The hazy 'Control' introduces Panacea with jaunty, Iommi-influenced riffing from Roy Nadel. Although it's nine and a half minutes long, there's no time for introductions - Soozi's spellbinding vocals take centre stage straight away. Satlan certainly have a dark vibe, but not in an overly depressing, doom-and-gloomy way. Their sound has a lot of colour, and the clear footing in 1970s heavy rock makes them accessible for a wide range of listeners. There's lots of great little details in this song. A really cool, floaty section a few minutes in prevents the sound from stagnating and adds some dynamic range, Alex Monad's haunting lead bass work is given a place to shine as the song plods on, and the switch into a major key at the end is highly effective (and really psychedelic). I find it hard not to picture a thunderstorm when I listen to this opener.

 

The dark 'Nash' carries on with a titanic, off-time, doomy main riff that creates such a strong atmosphere that even the major key-led sections even sound desolate. There's more lead bass from Alex, but done in a tasteful way. With shades of Geezer Butler and Al Cisneros, it adds to the song, rather than being a novelty that only bass players could appreciate, as is sometimes the case. 'Nash' ends on a Sabbathy groove that still sounds dark despite being a lot more upbeat. The riffing in 'Ode' is shameless, glorious worship of the first few Sabbath albums (are we noticing a common influence yet? not that I'm complaining!), driven by strong vocal melodies and phrasings. It develops to utilise an ascending chord sequence that gives the song a healthy hit of euphoria, before an intense, pounding outro energises 'Ode' unexpectedly with shades even of extreme metal. As Soozi menacingly wails 'who have you become?', you start to wonder if she's speaking directly to you.

We hear a soft, psychedelic intro that has hints of the Palm Desert scene. Slowly mutating into a darker series of chords, the tone is set for the sprawling, ten-minute, epic 'Kingmaker'. Soozi's powerful vocals take the spotlight again as Satlan ramp up the volume. The bluesy, psychedelic elements of 'Kingmaker', slowed down to a crawl, remind me of Sleep, although as if they'd been inspired more by the occult than jazz cigarettes. 'Watchmen' has an infectious, arse-shaking stoner groove to give the album a shot of adrenalin, well-placed after a long, slower song before it. Try not to nod along when it kicks in. It develops nicely into a slightly darker section which, again, looks back to vintage Sabbath watching their favourite horror movies. This is one of Satlan's biggest strengths in a nutshell - their way of adding variety in a song, but keeping a solid musical identity, is massively effective.

'Insanity' is a short, sharp shock of 70s metal, sitting stylistically in between Sabbath's middle albums and the rise of NWOBHM. It's a lot faster than any of the other songs, but doesn't feel out of place. The chorus and intro are still very much doomy, but with the energetic riffing and drumming around it, it stands out in a way that makes it the ideal closing track for an album like this. It may be different to the other five songs before it, but it still very much feels like something out of the (later) 1970s, and again, this is really clever of Satlan. 'Insanity' is a real banger to close Panacea on. Soozi snarls and spits out the lyrics with a fearless attitude, and the instruments lock in tightly with each other. The buildup at the end is super cool, causing for a thrilling and intense final 40 seconds as the drums pound away relentlessly and you find yourself catching your breath as Panacea screeches to a halt.

Panacea is a fantastic album, and a great debut for Satlan. With a distinct musical aesthetic rooted in 70s heavy rock, but benefitting from almost half a century of auditory hindsight, Satlan ambitiously draw from different sounds and styles to create what is undeniably their own. Yes, the Sabbath/doom influence is shown off proudly, but doesn't every great band in the genre do that? Furthermore, Satlan actually manage to sound like Sabbath sometimes without just seemingly ripping them off completely. Each member is given the chance to shine and stand out - I've hardly mentioned any of the drum work yet, which is unfair on James Loh's impressive, jazzy chops scattered through every song. He drives them forward with flair, and prevents the listener from mentally checking out during the super-slow parts. I'd recommend Satlan to any fan of heavy rock, doom and stoner. If this is the beginning, only hell knows what's next for them...

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MN