Serpens Aeon

Making excellent use of all the archetypal elements of both death and black metal, Serpens Aeon manage to distance themselves from the monotony that has become the modern metal credo in this 40-minute opus of evil. They compare themselves to the infamous Dissection but fall short in many aspects, most notably in songwriting. Though they are missing the charismatic riffs, they are still able to capture the technical proficiency and sheer magnitude of Dissection’s sound. They’re better described as a North American, or more precisely Floridian, death metal band, with songs reminiscent of bands like Morbid Angel or Deicide. They use all the epic, crushing tremolo tricks that metalheads have come to worship in place of a biblical god. The vocals lie in between Wormtongue and Lord Worm as one is still able to understand several lines such as, "vein of tragedy” or "end of time,” keeping a fine balance with the Lord’s indiscernible yaks. Although the subject matter is cliché, it still sits within the dark, pragmatic American approach, which is a relief compared to the fantasy lyrics about dragons lusting for riches that many of their peers choose to indulge in. They may not live up to their idols but they certainly deliver a gruelling record worthy of many listens.