Review: Serpents Oath – Revelation

Review by Nick Williams

“The destruction of our souls is what the hell raisers want. Without them, the conquering of this world is impossible.”

The country of Belgium, for me musically, has always been a place I associated with bands such as Aborted, Oathbreaker and the almighty Bütcher. I think Serpents Oath is now officially in that realm of very respectable acts, in my opinion. They have shown time and time again that when they enter the studio to record a project, it’s a hellfire-upon-earth type of time or it’s a failure and failure isn’t a fucking option for these guys. Coming off a successful record two years ago and a very positive 2023, it’s a no-brainer why ‘Revelation’ came to us so quickly and is very unapologetic. It is out this month through Odium Records.

Black metal, in general, I feel doesn’t get enough respect when it comes to creativity. Serpents Oath created a whole fucking world on this record. A world that is beautiful in aspects but also driven by a trinity of chaos, hatred and damnation. The way this band takes real advantage on how to properly use different vocals ranges is something I will always enjoy. Especially on ‘Purification Through Fire’ where they have this type of whisper along with the scream in the background. It’s a simple effect but it really does control the whole song. It’s always the whispers of sweet nothings on your ear that gets us, isn’t it? ‘Drakonian Gnosis’ is the other example where they throw in this guttural scream during the chorus that just gives you this uncomfortable feeling that Lucifer himself is casting a magical unholy spell on you. Even the guitar tones that Serpents Oath have birthed are a little bit black metal but also a hint of death metal. They have this meaty type feel to them with a wave of vibration that only black metal can sound like. Side note: I have a feeling this band has listened to a lot of Dark Funeral. Not a bad thing since you can tell how they respect the masterful tones of Dark Funeral.

‘Revelation’ is a furiously successful attempt at creating a complete madhouse with its 12 tracks and clocking in at nearly 50 minutes. It’s a record I would recommend to fans who not just enjoy black metal but also want a record that easily show off to people who are on the fence about the genre. All in all, the amount of evilness, terror and ungodliness that ‘Revelation’ brings is top notch. Whether or not these gentlemen believe what they preach throughout this record or not, they do an impressively mint job at making you feel possessed by the dark Lord of the underworld.

https://www.facebook.com/serpentsoath/

https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/serpents-oath-revelation

https://www.label.odiumrecords.com/

Review: Gray State – Under the Wheels of Progress

Review by Nick Williams

Gray State is a five piece metalcore/hardcore band from Finland that personally, I wasn’t expecting to bring this much heat. Given it is my first time hearing anything by this band so the stakes can’t be too high. Please take what I say below with a grain of salt or trash me in the comment if you dislike what you hear. They’ve released a EP, a split with Last Drop and a full length before this monster of a record entitled ‘Under the Wheels of Progress’, out now through The Coming Strife Records. So, let me shut up and let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into while blasting this record at full blast.

The flow of the record as a whole can’t be overlooked. It’s sort of like, the mood stays the same but the internal emotions are a rollercoaster, in the best way possible. The transition from ‘Bound to Burn’ to ‘Flames of Efficiency’ is flawless. No pause and not letting you rest for a split second. It goes from a groove filled instrumental track with more than enough heaviness into Jussi Kinnari yelling into your face like a raged maniac. That’s also a common theme in this record, Gray State does not let you gain any composure from track to track. With each passing minute the guys do what they do best and that is to bring well crafted brutality in the form of music. I wouldn’t say it’s the standard death metal type brutality either. It’s the kind of wholesome brutality you get when you’re a part of a hardcore show getting your teeth kicked in. ‘The Death of True Love’ is another one of my favorite tracks. The chorus alone is something that I would love to see live, just a room full of hardcore fans running to the stage for the mic with no regard for anyone around them. Don’t get me started on the musicianship that this band has put together. Every member is spot on for this performance. From the melodies on ‘Desire for Salvation’ and ‘Flaw in a Mortal Machine’, to the drum and bass combination, this band just doesn’t miss. With all the positives, we also have to admit that negatives exist. For me, my only complaint is that I wish the record was a bit longer. Maybe around the 11 track range but that could also be me being selfish.

Everything I said above is just a build up to state that I will have ‘Under the Wheels of Progress’ in my end of the year list. I know it’s early, extremely early, in the year but you just can’t deny what you love, enjoy and keep coming back to. Will it be in my top 25 favorites of the year? Most likely! Could it be my AOTY? Never say never. This record is exactly what I want when I listen to metalcore/hardcore. Finally, and I can’t stress this enough, prepare yourselves for a mammoth hell of a time with this record. If you enjoy the energy of Have Heart, the grooves of All Out War and the aggressiveness of Bane, I would say there is a very good chance you’ll love what Gray State has to offer

https://www.facebook.com/GRAYSTATEHC

https://graystatehc.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-wheels-of-progress

https://thecomingstrife.com/en-us