Serpent
Autumn Ride
1997 Heathendoom Music
Review by Review by Vladimir Levin
Thanks to Repulse America for the CD
Sporting a fairly traditional guitar sound layered on top of a crunching
classical rhythm section reminiscent very much of doom patriarchs Black
Sabbath with clean, somewhat tremulous vocals, Serpent delivers very classic
70's influenced rock with some modern accents.
The most noticeable aspect of this recording is the thick, layered guitar
groove, with its full-on solos which conveys to each song a catchy, somewhat
trippy feeling. The very rich, lingering guitar presence and the
deep, hypnotic vocals are very reminiscent of the classic 70's rock song
"In the Garden of Eden" by, I believe, Iron Butterfly. For a five-piece band,
the sound on this CD seems surprisingly simple; one doesn't hear much in
the vein of twin-guitar leads. The two guitars blend together quite
harmoniously.
This album displays direct drum beats and places much emphasis on clashing
of cymbals, layered and hypnotic guitarwork and dramatic vocalization. The
pace of the album shifts throughout between plodding regularity and a faster
more agressive driving rhythm.
Easily the most distinctive and enjoyable track on this CD is the
last one, "Live Through This", a full-tilt power ballad with blistering
guitar solos best played at high volume. The band really rocks out
on this one; it's the only song on the album in which the presence of both
guitars is strikingly evident, which lends to it a powerful presence.
Overall, I like this retro-sounding album, with its offbeat
but poetic, dreamlike lyrics:
Last night I took an autumn ride -
silver shadow on the golden sky
Foolish dwarfs pointed at me jeering
But fairy queen
She sent me a smile
Autumn Ride is not an especially heavy album. One might call it doomy,
but I think it's more of a classic rock album with a lot of edge to it.
Regardless, I recommend it.
Contact:
HeathenDoom Music
Box 36
114 79 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone: +46 816-5770
Fax: +46 815-8951
E-mail: heathendoom.music@swipnet.se
Serpent
Box 165
132 25 Saltsjo-Boo
Sweden
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