The Satanic Mass
is just what the title says it is -- an authentic Satanic Mass recorded live at the Church of Satan (conducted by the High Priest of Satan himself,
Anton LaVey
). Originally released in 1968 on Murgenstrumm (the first time a Satanic Mass was ever presented to the public), the good folks at Amarillo have re-released this long-out-of-print oddity and added a bonus track to boot. And although its message is the polar opposite of Christianity, the mass sounds strikingly similar to a Christian one (organ, Bible readings, etc.). The extensive notes in the CD booklet do a good job of explaining what's going on visually, and offers easy-to-understand translations of what's being read aloud. But without an actual visual accompaniment, the mass begins to drag after a while. Although it's not as enjoyable as
LaVey's
more musically varied other album,
Satan Takes a Holiday
,
is at the very least interesting. ~ Greg Prato