SERPENTINE PATH — Serpentine Path (review)

SERPENTINE PATH — Serpentine Path album cover Album · 2012 · Death-Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Time Signature
Beyond the dawn of time...

Genre: sludge-doom

Consisting of all three members of Unearthly Trance plus Tim Bagshaw from Ramesses and Electric Wizard, Serpentine Path is a band that should, almost per se be of interest to fans of doom metal. Also, although a relatively new band, Serpentine Path's members are, needless to say, doom metal veterans which, of course, gives rise to quite high expectations from the seasoned doom metal listener.

The question is, are those expectations fulfilled? Well, I would say so. The tempos are relatively heavy and evolve around crushingly heavy riffs performed on fuzzy downtuned guitars. The music is a bit on the sludgy side, often making use of sparse and, at times, minimalistic textures. Serpentine Path do, however, show several times that they definitely know how to deliver some very convincing doom metal riffage – complete with harmonic guitars and the whole kit and kaboodle – which works well in conjunction with the sludgy riffage that oozes from the loudspeakers when this album is on the stereo. Just check the closing track 'Only a Monolith Remains', which is an all out classic doom metal attack.

The lyrics are harsh and sound more like something you would encounter in primitive death metal, but in this case, I do not mind the growled vocals, because they actually fit neatly into the brutal crunch of the guitars and the crushingly heavy sludge riffs that are ubiquituous on this album. The vocals should, of course, also be a factor in attracting fans of death-doom to the album, although it is a far cry from the death-doom of the 90s that converted many death metal fans into doom lovers.

Overall, Serpentine Path's debut is a very convincing slab of sludge-doom which definitely should fullfil whatever expectations fans of Ramesses, Unearthly Trance and Electric Wizard might have. Fans of doom metal in general are also likely to enjoy the crushingly heavy and brutal riffage on this album. Just go check it out and welcomest thy doom.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I´ve just finished my review of this one too. Great album.

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

I, the Destroyer Black Metal
SVARTFJELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 7 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 7 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 7 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 7 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 7 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed