An atmospheric guitar piece opens ‘Death Clan OD’ with ‘The Black Knighthood Of OD’ before Serpent Noir launch a full-on attack on the senses. ‘Cutting The Umbilical Cord Of Hel’ is a brutal affair and leads with battering fretwork and percussion from the kit before the raspy and demonic vocals join the violence. The vocals are measured and intertwine with the string art before relentless drumming is exposed and exhibited with maniacal and vehement passion aplenty.
‘Hexcraft’ starts with a crash and then leads into a similar tact to its predecessor. The vocals on this facet are more spoken and doomier. There is more power behind the words and they seem to hold more body and volume than the spat-out style previously claimed. The power and precision are still backing the words up, but a sense of urgency is rising from the speakers building to a crescendo of a summit.
‘Asmodeus: The Sword Of Golachab’ sees more of a rhythmic stance with the vocals reverting to the malevolent and sinister growl. The track alters pace throughout, and we are witnessed to calculated and measured doom-laden intersections, all painted and encased in a black art corpse. At one point, late on in the track, the spoken style of vocals duel with the satanic spitting seen on most of the release so far, and this only acts as an aperitif to a beautiful if not brief guitar solo before the whole beast fades out.
‘Astaroth: The Jaws Of Gha’Agsheblah’ starts off serene and atmospheric with a deeper guitar doodle before unlashing a more frenetic and possessed pace. The drum work is off the scale and the vocals create an essence of an even more demonic underworld. This black art, at the thrashier end of the spectrum, delivers its five minutes with passion and unrelenting speed and precision throughout.
‘Necrobiological Chant Of Talas’ sits and represents as an almost carbon copy, a similar form, to the track laid before it. There are some subtle differences to the make up and the genetics, and there is more of a marching under current throughout. The track is dissected with guitar solos, and highlighted guitar artistry, before the band once again decide to utilise the fade function at the culmination of the track.
‘Goeh Ra Reah: Garm Unchained’ is blasting from the outset and this is layered with true spoken word segments. The speech builds alongside the musical score which it accompanies and acts almost as a verbal conductor, ordering and commanding the path on which the track builds. The track in its entirety is less vicious than previously witnessed and is more technical and precious than its siblings. The whole track is calculated and imposing with malice and a premediated atmosphere.
This album is diverse and eclectic whilst keeping a blackened and angst-ridden soul. The vocals are varied and imposing yet maintain an element of the evil which accompanies the black metal style so well. This is one which will keep you entertained and hooked throughout, it just could have done with having a couple more tracks to encapsulate a full release, as it stands, it just feels too unfinished and almost as if it’s been cut short for some reason.
(7/10 Phil Pountney)
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