SERPENT LORD (GR) „Towards The Damned”

Alcyone Music, 2018

Music: Mystical Heavy Metal

Website:

https://www.facebook.com/SerpentLordband/

https://serpentlordgr.bandcamp.com/

Duration: 38:49 minutes (10 tracks)

Country: Greece

The Greek SERPENT LORD released his first album some time ago and I admit that the concept is interesting. In principle, their music is called Heavy Metal and they are very close to this classic genre, although many elements go out beyond its frames of Heavy Metal. First of all, the atmosphere that prevails on the album is not quite typical for Heavy Metal…

There is a mood of sublimity and pathos combined with mystery and mysticism, shrouded in darkness. In addition, the origin of the musicians in their arrangements is clearly heard. I wonder if they listen to native bands like ROTTING CHRIST, VARATHRON or NIGHTFALL. In their arrangements they use similar remedies of expression as the above Greek Black Metal bands, and additionally they weave climatic (often full of pathos) backing vocals, sometimes acoustic guitars and even violins.

On the other hand, apart from the rhythmic Heavy Metal predatory gallop, they use decelerations straight from Doom Metal, which in combination with the vocals sometimes reminded me CANDLEMASS.

Generally, the material is quite varied arrangementally. There create frequent changes in instrumental and vocal topics. But nevertheless, the whole is coherent. The musicians deftly move from melodious content to strong hits as well as from calmer singings across dark declamations to sharp vocals. However, sometimes these falsetto vocal parts are not as close to tone. But rather, these faults are lost in the whole.

An interesting fact is the song “Evvuio Oitovo Iman” sung in the dead Phrygian language – a very interesting composition combining Heavy Metal with the Hellenistic Black Metal.