Album
Type: EP
Date
Released: 04/03/2015
Label: Materia
Prima Records
‘Shrine
Of The Serpent’ CD//DD track listing:
1).
9 Gates Of Shadow
2).
King In Red
3).
Gods Of Blight
Shrine
of the Serpent is:
Todd
Janeczek | Guitar, Vocals
John
Boyd | Guitar, Vocals
Garret
Hubner | Drums
Review:
Only
the best of the best Doom can create that indefinable feeling of dread and that
sinking feeling like no other, heavier than the ton weight squashing wile
coyote cloaked in atmosphere, sombre and unceasing. Portland band Aldebaran
members alongside Tenspeed Warlock and Roanoke come together for their new
project Shrine of the Serpent (SOTS)
Releasing
their eponymous, self-titled, three track debut of monstrous death doom to
rapturous reception, I have a listen and see what they have to give.
‘9
Gates of Shadow’ is an eerie beginning; spoken words oozing doom and gloom,
setting the scene for the heaviest riff you can imagine, blacker than the
devils soul. With full blown ferocity it appears and pitches a tent in your
lugholes. Hubner’s drum work pounding into the skull and Janeczek’s death metal
roaring encapsulating the vibe totally; like a wounded animal in pain he
persists. Torturous and unrelenting it churns the stomach and chills the psyche
of all those who are brave enough to listen before ending with some atmospheric
playback.
‘King
In Red’ with a shudder I listen, whiny feedback; atmospheric sound
effects hinting at the psychedelic before the aural assault begins. Pure evil,
dark and dank in its misery has arrived and by the love of all that is Satan,
you know it! The plaintive, melancholic riffs harken back to the sounds of
Solitude Aeturnus and Candlemass; heavily accented by growling vocals and
double-kick drumming for a full on emotional effect. An epic offering of just
under 12 minutes, not once does it ease up, never giving the listener time to
get bored or to even breathe, it is relentless in its awesomeness.
‘Gods
of Blight’ opens up with a female vocal passage to begin with, a gloomy, Edgar
Allan Poe style story, supernatural in presentation creating the perfect
demonic atmosphere. Riffs cloaked in murkiness and shadow creates that sinking
feeling with ease, the despondency in the lyricism palpable. Here as throughout
the album, they blend sludge, doom and death metal with bravura making one hell
of a tune. Whilst
there is only 3 tracks to this EP, this record keeps to one of the key features
of doom metal: the length of songs. Each song is over 8 minutes long, with the
longest just under 12, but that doesn’t mean they’re lacking in quality; all of
them have an incredible feel.
Combining
death and doom metal does not always work, in this case it does, and
fabulously.
‘SOTS’
is a monolith, with Janeczek’s vocals; gut wrenching and raspy, lyrics that are
about as death metal as they come- just short of Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth.
Spine chilling, buzzing riffs and inordinately heavy drums all working in
synchronicity, significantly enhanced with a dark atmosphere that sends
shivers, chills and dread coursing through the listener just as it should.
With
their ability to mould huge, mean, ugly riffs into mammoth landscapes of sorrow
and despair, it is the raging black soulless melody of SOTS that holds the
attention, opening portals in the mind to dark imagery and wonderment.
An
impressive debut from a band that understands the aural conveyance of tortured
souls and mental anguish.
Words
by: Kat
Hilton
‘Shrine
of the Serpent’ is available here
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