Death SS | The Entity | Lucifer Rising Records

 

Death SS was formed in 1977 by Steve Sylvester, born out of a unique fusion of horror aesthetics, occult philosophy, erotic comics, and heavy rock music. Drawing inspiration from theatricality and the shock value of punk, Steve Sylvester conceptualized the band as a collection of archetypal horror characters brought to life: a vampire vocalist, mummy bassist, zombie guitarist, phantom keyboardist, and wolfman drummer. With a name symbolizing the symbolic "death" of Sylvester’s mundane self and his rebirth through occult initiation, Death SS has long distanced itself from any political interpretations.

Throughout the decades, the band has evolved through numerous lineup changes while maintaining Steve Sylvester as its unwavering nucleus. Their early shows—complete with blood, bones, nudity, and cemetery props—earned them notoriety in Italy’s underground scene. After an initial split in the early ‘80s, they returned in 1988 with “In Death Of Steve Sylvester”, followed by a run of albums that included “Black Mass,” “Heavy Demons,” and “Do What Thou Wilt,” exploring occult, horror, and philosophical themes.

By the late '90s and early 2000s, Death SS had ventured into more cybernetic and gothic-influenced sounds with albums like “Humanomalies” and “The Seventh Seal,” collaborating with producers such as Neil Kernon and David Shiffman. Over the years, they remained a cult institution, revered for their eccentric stagecraft and dedication to horror music. Their recent years include “Resurrection,” “Rock ’N’ Roll Armageddon,” and “X,” leading to this 2025 release.

"The Entity" extends Death SS’ ongoing dialogue with horror, the supernatural, and the psychological spectrum of humanity. With English producer Tom Dalgety joining Steve Sylvester, this album moves within industrial and heavy rock territories but never loses the occult theatricality at its core.

From the start, the production leans heavily on sharp digital textures, mechanical pulses, and a sense of ritual. The thematic current of duality and transformation threads through the tracks, drawing literary inspiration from Aleister Crowley, James Hogg, and Robert Louis Stevenson. The material takes on shifting shapes, moving from theatrical doom to grinding mechanical rhythmics and sinister synth-driven climaxes. Yet, there’s no excess. Each song retains clarity of purpose, with chorus refrains and lyrical refrains often spiraling into incantatory repetition.

Tracks like "Dr. Jekyll Sister Hyde" and "Two Souls" reflect the album’s fascination with inner conflict and split identity, while "The Whitechapel Wolf" and "The Evil Painter" pull infamous historical characters into the band’s spiritual gallery. Meanwhile, the inclusion of "Cimiteria" acts almost as a self-referential summoning, a hymn to the mythos the band has carefully cultivated over nearly five decades.

Sylvester’s vocals remain theatrical, closer to a haunted orator than a conventional metal singer. Freddy Delirio’s keyboards remain a crucial axis of atmosphere, warping between gothic hymns and digital paranoia. Ghiulz Borroni’s guitars push a heavy, sometimes grinding tone, never showy, always serviceable to the occult narrative. Bassist Demeter and drummer Unam Talbot offer precision rhythms that help sculpt the album's disciplined pacing.

"The Entity" feels conceptually coherent without ever leaning on narrative excess. It follows a path of slow-burning menace, not rapid aggression. At no point does the album attempt to modernize for the sake of accessibility or drift toward nostalgic mimicry. Its tone is ceremonial, slow in many passages, and heavily layered—best absorbed in a single sitting.

Score: 7.3