Info
- Band(s): Serpents Oath
- Label(s): Soulseller Records
- Release Format(s): 12" vinyl, CD
- Release Year: 2022
- Review Date: February 10, 2023
- Author(s): FelixS
The Belgian Black Metal band Serpents Oath released their second album halfway last year, again through the Dutch Soulseller Records label. Though the band might not ring a bell to many yet, they already offered a very decent and solid sounding debut in 2020 with ‘Nihil’. With ‘Ascension’ they have not strayed from their path, musically, instead they have further perfected and refined their musical recipe.
For those unfamiliar with Serpents Oath, they are best described as a well-executed blend of both Norwegian and Swedish Black Metal. Adapting a somewhat mechanical sound reminiscent of Mayhem’s mid-era records as well as a lot of that all guns blazing sort of wild frenzied Swedish Black Metal, not all too far removed from bands like Setherial or even Dark Funeral. Not all that original perhaps, but when done with the right intentions and such abandon, the result is just highly enjoyable. The music’s main ingredient, the riffs, are sharp and are further enhanced through the album’s crisp production, making the whole thing sound aggressive and very impending at the very same time. The only thing that stands in the way of making ‘Ascension’ a total cracker is the absence of real stand-out tracks or real catchy hooks. A pity maybe, but on the other hand, this allows the album to have a rather solid quality as a whole, and, as with most of such records, it will grow on the listener with each spin. Especially the album’s closing track, ‘Blood Moon’, is a song that captures the very spirit of the band, that riff is really killing it.
Just like its predecessor, ‘Ascension’ also follows almost all the genre’s downtrodden paths, but once again, as the band knows their craft, they molded their Black Metal into those genre standards without sounding jaded or worn out at all. ‘Ascension’ therefore is a worthy successor and again a step up, being basically a strong promise for their next piece of work.
Soulseller Records
- Country: Netherlands
- Style: Black Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Thrash Metal, Other
- Links: Homepage, Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, Youtube
