Posted in Whathaveyou on August 20th, 2015 by JJ Koczan
If you’d asked, and I realize you didn’t but since we’re already talking about it we might as well press on, I probably wouldn’t have said it had been four years since the last Seamount album came out, but the numbers don’t lie. The Church Within will issue what amounts to their fifth full-length release on Oct. 9 in the righteously-titled Nitro Jesus. The cross-Atlantic collaboration between guitarist Tim Schmidt in Germany and vocalist Phil Swanson in the Northeastern US has been going since 2007, and clearly they’re not screwing around at this point, because I don’t care who you are, you don’t call your record Nitro Jesus unless you mean business.
CD is out in Oct. and vinyl in Nov. The PR wire brings further details:
SEAMOUNT – Nitro Jesus (The Church Within Records)
RELEASE INFO
SEAMOUNT – “Nitro Jesus” Label: The Church Within Records Release date: 09.10.2015 (CD) ; 20.11.2015 (Vinyl) Formats: CD & Double 10” Gatefold Vinyl Distribution: Alive Genre: Classic Dark/Doom Rock
SEAMOUNT began in 2007 as an idea of guitarist Tim Schmidt in Würzburg, Germany under the influence of his fondness for the melodic hard rock and heavy metal style of bands like the Obsessed, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and so many others. On his search for the proper vocalist American singer Phil Swanson introduced himself as a potential candidate for the position and without much more thought the two moved forward quickly writing their debut “NTODRM” an acronym for “New Torch of Doom Rock Music” a term coined between the two members from their very first conversation about SEAMOUNT and its musical direction.
The initial 2008 debut was released as an interactive free download before getting picked up for a double vinyl gatefold pressing by Merciless Records which was followed by SEAMOUNT’s first European tour that culminated a successful opening of Hammer of Dooms inaugural festival.
Just more than a year later SEAMOUNT returned in 2009 with a slightly more experimental approach on “Light and Truth” which found them the new welcome home of Church Within Records that had a highlighted tour opening Doom Shall Rise.
Almost a year to the day SEAMOUNT returned in 2010 again with their third release of “Sacrifice” that received their greatest appreciation to date with numerous favored reviews and best of year accolades. Another record meant another quick European tour of support this time with label mates Serpent Venom and at the time Orchid.
SEAMOUNT then went back to the writing and recording process taking two years time to release 2012’s bold concept record of love and spirituality “Earthmother”. The bands fourth and bravest effort was surprisingly well received despite its parsimonious indulgence.
After “Earthmother” SEAMOUNT took a break from live appearances and for the first time slowed its writing process until they gathered up their ideas for this new 2015 release of their fifth studio recording “Nitro Jesus” that brings back the straight ahead vibe of “Sacrifice” and “NTODRM”, prioritizing a more hook oriented style that puts SEAMOUNT ‘s adroitness for rhythm and melody to a prominent forefront, proudly stating the idea of traditional songwriting above all else. Enjoy!
One of my biggest questions as guitarist/vocalist Dana Ortt and drummer Darin McCloskey transition from Beelzefuzz into Righteous Bloom has been how their sound will shift with lead guitarist Greg Diener — also a bandmate of McCloskey‘s in Pale Divine — playing alongside Ortt‘s signature, organ-esque tone, and what that will bring to the classic prog vibe that underscored Beelzefuzz‘s doomly groove. That question, which remained even after the oft-revisited initial single “Of Sanctum and Solace” (stream here) arrived last September, sees further answer with the newly-revealed “Within Trance,” which the four-piece rounded out by bassist Bert Hall, also of Revelation/Against Nature, posted as a look into the solidification of their forthcoming first LP, set tentatively for release later this year via The Church Within Records, who also issued the self-titled debut from Beelzefuzz (review here) in 2013.
And the answer, I suppose, is they mesh pretty well. Diener certainly brings his own tone and spirit to the material — particularly in the solos — but Ortt retains his prevalent sonic personality too, and one imagines that with two guitars, it will be easier for the heft that showed itself on the Beelzefuzz record to come to life on stage as well, Diener having joined Beelzefuzz right near the dissolution of that band. The eerie hook that ensues on “Within Trance” feels like a logical next step and a fitting beginning point for Righteous Bloom as they look to establish their own course, separate from Ortt and McCloskey‘s work with their prior outfit, but still in league with it and grown out from its foundation. I was already looking forward to finding out what their debut had in store, and “Within Trance” is only fodder for more intrigue. I’ve got my fingers crossed that record shows up before the New Year.
Righteous Bloom play their first show at Cafe 611 in Frederick, Maryland, this Saturday, March 21, in the good company of Nagato, Admiral Browning and Faith in Jane. More info here.
Enjoy the track, with the announcement from the band after:
Rightous Bloom, “Within Trance”
Well, it’s been a very busy past few months for Righteous Bloom writing and recording the new album, but we’re finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel! In appreciation for everyone’s patience and support we offer you “Within Trance” a brand new tune that will be on our forthcoming album on Church Within Recs.
“Within Trance” will also be one of the new songs we’re very excited to play for everyone this coming weekend, March 21st, at Club 611 in Frederick, MD.
Posted in Reviews on December 29th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
This is it. New Year’s is this week and by Friday we’ll be into 2015. A new year always brings new hopes, concerns, records and so on, but to be completely honest, I’m just not quite done with 2014 yet. So here we are. I’ve had stacks of CDs on my desk and folders on my computer from the last couple months of stuff I have been trying to fit in, and it doesn’t seem right to me to let the year go without cramming in as much music as I possibly can.
Gotta call it something, so I went with “Last Licks,” since that’s basically what it will be. The plan is that between today and Friday, each day I’ll have another batch of 10 reviews. I’m not going to promise they’ll be the most comprehensive ever, but the idea is to do as much as I can and this seems to me the best way to turn my brains into goo. When that ball drops in Times Square, there’s a good chance I’ll be typing.
No sense in delaying. You get the idea, so let’s jump in:
Sigiriya, Darkness Died Today
Recorded live as their debut on Candlelight Records and the follow-up to 2011’s debut, Return to Earth (review here), the sophomore outing from Welsh heavy rockers Sigiriya, Darkness Died Today, is distinguished by a vocalist swap bringing in Matt Williams of Suns of Thunder. Williams has a tough job in replacing Dorian Walters, who like guitarist Stuart O’Hara, bassist Paul Bidmead and drummer Darren Ivey, is a former member of Acrimony. There are times when it works and times when it doesn’t. Along with a more barebones tonality in the guitar than appeared on the debut, Williams brings a more straightforward style in his voice, and it changes the personality of the band on songs like “Freedom Engines” and the first-album-title-track “Return to Earth.” “Tribe of the Old Oak” is a catchy highlight and I’ll almost never argue with a song called “Obelisk,” but it seems like they’re still searching for the footing here that seemed so firmly planted their last time out.
Upstate New York blues rockers Handsome Jack waste little time living up to the title Do What Comes Naturally. The name of their third album, released by Alive Naturalsound, is both mission-statement aand suggestion, and on songs like the soul-inflected “Creepin’” and the rolling “You and Me,” they make it sound like a good idea. Blues and classic soul meet garage rock across cuts like the relatively brief “Leave it all Behind,” but the tones are warm throughout the record, and guest spots on harmonica and Hammond help keep a sense of variety in the material, well-constructed but still loose in its vibe. The twang might recall The Brought Low for heavy rock heads, but one doubts Handsome Jack groove on much that came out after Psychedelic Mud. Even the CD splits into sides, and as easy as it would be for something like this to sound like a put-on, Handsome Jack prevail with closer “Wasted Time” in making an outing that’s anything but.
London doomers Serpent Venom sound like experts in the form on Of Things Seen and Unseen, their second album for The Church Within following 2011’s Carnal Altar and their initial 2010 demo (review here), a righteous 48-minute lumbering slab of heavy riffs, downerism and nod. It’s not every band who could put “Death Throes at Dawn” and “Lord of Life” next to each other, but the four-piece of vocalist Garry Ricketts, guitarist Roland Scriver, bassist Nick Davies and drummer Paul Sutherland keep their focus so utterly doomed that even the quiet, minimalist acoustic interlude “I Awake” – ostensibly a breather — comes across as trodden as the earlier “Sorrow’s Bastard,” or the Reverend Bizarre-worthy “Let Them Starve,” which follows. For those who long for trad doom that has an identity outside its Vitus and Sabbath influences, Serpent Venom prove more than ready to enter that conversation on the wah-soaked soloing in the second half of “Pilgrims of the Sun.” Right fucking on.
The artwork tells the story. Owl Glitters’ Alchemical Tones (on Heart and Crossbone Records) is a wash of color. Taking tribal rhythms and repetitions and pairing them with organic low-end, chanted vocals and periodic excursions of psych rock guitar, Arkia Jahani (who seems to be the lone creative force behind the project, though Mell Dettmer mastered) brings a ritualistic sensibility to the eight included pieces, and the flow is molten from the start of “Dervishes.” Less purposefully weird than Master Musicians of Bukkake, but farther into the cosmos than Om, there’s a folkish identity at the heart of Alchemical Tones that keeps the proceedings human even on the near-throat-singing of “Hakim Sanai” or “Poets of Shiras” and “Khalifa’s Visions” an immersive pair preceding the droning closer “By the Candlelight Our Eyes Welcome Glimmers of Eternity.” Beautifully experimental – and in the case of “Mindful of Gems,” fuzzed to the gills – Owl Glitters’ second outing engages sonic spiritualism with dogmatic command and stares back at you from the space within yourself.
Sandveiss released Scream Queen, their first full-length, late in 2013, reveling in a modern sound crisply produced and more than ably executed to feature the vocals of guitarist Luc Bourgeois, who provides frontman presence even on disc alongside guitarist Shawn Rice, bassist Daniel Girard and drummer Dzemal Trtak. Cohesiveness isn’t in question as opener and longest cut (immediate points) “Blindsided” rounds out its 6:26, leading the way into “Do You Really Know” and setting the tone for big-riffed Euro-style heavy from the Quebecois foursome, who slow down on “Bottomless Lies,” on which Trtak backs Bourgeois in you-guys-should-do-this-more fashion, and ultimately hold firm to the focus on songwriting that establishes itself early. They fuzz out on closer “Green or Gold,” but by then it’s another element of variety among the organ, guest vocals on “Scar” and tempo shifts on Sandveiss’ ambitious debut, distinguished even unto the six-panel gatefold digi-sleeve in which it arrives, the art and design by Alexandre Goulet one more standout factor on an album demanding attention.
Probably the most clearly Beatlesian moment on Octopus Syng’s Reverberating Garden Number 7 is a slight “Hey Bulldog”-style cadence on side A’s “Very Strange Trip,” and that in itself is an accomplishment (one I’m apparently not the first to observe). The Helsinki four-piece in their 15th year are led by guitarist/vocalist Jaire Pätäri and emit an oozing, serene psychedelia, peaceful and lysergic in late ‘60s exploratory fashion. Reverberating Garden Number 7 (on Mega Dodo Records) echoes out vibe to spare and is deceptively lush while keeping a humble vibe thanks in no small part to Pätäri’s restrained vocal approach and curios like “Cuckoo Clock Mystery,” which boasts an actual cuckoo clock to add bounce to its arrangement. Nine-minute closer “Listen to the Moths” is the single biggest surprise, and an album unto itself, but its unfolding is only the capstone on a collection of psychedelic wonder sincere in its stylistic intent and execution. It fills the ears like warm air in the lungs.
Destructive Australian trio Sun Shepherd put the bulk of Procession of Trampling Hoof to tape in 2011. Closing bonus track “Exploding Sun” is a demo from 2006, but it fits with their extended tracks and big riffs piled onto each other in densely-weighted fashion, if rougher in presentation. More Ramesses than High on Fire, who prove otherwise to be a key influence tonally for guitarist/vocalist Anson Antriasian, must-hear bassist Leigh Fischer and drummer Michael Barson, though their approach is decidedly less thrash-based. The first five of the six songs find Sun Shepherd’s first full-length a pummel-minded blend of sludge and doom. Antriasian’s vocals are semi-spoken, but fitting theatrically on “Goat-Head Awakening” with the grueling riff-led nod, the tension released as they pass the halfway point of the 10-minute run, a raw atmosphere bolstering the chaos of their slower-motion marauding. With the welcome flourish of stonerly soloing on “Engulfed by Ocean of Time,” one can’t help but wonder what the Melbourne natives are up to three years later.
Fuzz-toned elements of Sleep and Sabbath pervade the stoner-doomy self-titled The Church Within debut from Oslo three-piece Purple Hill Witch, who carry the bounce well in immediately familiar riffs and groove. Swinging drums from Øyvind and the inventive basslines of Andreas underscore Kristian’s purely Iommic riffage and blown-out vocals, somewhere between Witchcraft’s earliest going and Witch’s self-titled. If that gives Purple Hill Witch an even witchier feel, “Final Procession” sounds just fine with that, as do shorter tracks like the later “Aldebaranian Voyage (Into the Sun)” and centerpiece “Karmanjaka” on which the stoner side comes out in force. They finish by using all 11 minutes of the eponymous “Purple Hill Witch”’s runtime, breaking in the midsection for a murky exploration that’s creepily atmospheric without veering into cult rock cliché. They bounce resumes and slows to a crawl to close out, but the jam serves Purple Hill Witch well in expanding the band’s sonic reach and the album’s weedian sensibility. Not that they were keeping it a secret.
A burly dual-guitar five-piece with roots in Germany and Switzerland, Giant Sleep start out their self-titled, self-released first LP with a brief intro titled “Argos” before getting to the question, “Why am I angry all the time?” as the central, recurring line of “Angry Man.” That song, like “Henu” and “Reproduce,” gets its point across quick in heavy rock fashion and develops its argument from there, a progressive metal vibe pervading especially the latter, which is penultimate in the 10-song/52-minute effort, and underscores the high-grade craftsmanship accomplished throughout. “Dreamless Sleep” is probably my pick of the bunch for its airier tone and resonant minor-key hook in the guitars of Markus Ruf and Patrick Hagmann, vocalist Thomas Rosenmerkel belting out the chorus before making way for plotted solos atop Radek Stecki’s bass and Manuel Spänhauer’s drums, but it’s not so far removed from its surroundings. As a whole, the album could be more efficient, but it wants nothing for songwriting, and especially as a debut, Giant Sleep hits its marks readily.
Opener “Las Noches del Desierto” is the only one of Star Collider’s five tracks under 10 minutes. Flux seems to be the norm for Finnish post-stoners Acid Elephant, who recently brought in vocalist Martin Ahlö but here revolve around the core of bassist/guitarist/vocalist Miksa Väliverho, guitarist/vocalist Ilpo Kauppinen and drummer Roope Vähä-Aho, employing a host of others on obscure vocals, percussion and djembe throughout the 64-minute sophomore outing, recorded in 2012 and released late in 2013. Whoever they are now, Acid Elephant on Star Collider call out heavy psych, drone/jam and riff-based impulses in their extended cuts, gradually getting longer from “Red Carpet Lane” (10:46) until closer “Bog” hits 18:29. To their credit, their songs leave impressions to match their length, and even as it’s finishing its instrumental run, “Godmason” (15:58) is highlighting its resonant central riff, having emerged from a wash of feedback and amp noise at its beginning, preceded by the droning centerpiece “7th Stone.” Satisfying and unpredictable, Star Collider balances experimentation and engagement smoothly without losing its focus on individualism.
Posted in Bootleg Theater on September 29th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
It’s a quick two minutes and “Of Sanctum and Solace” is over. The song barely feels like it has a second verse (it does), but what it signals is the beginning for Righteous Bloom. The new band, announced earlier this month as a new vehicle for former Beelzefuzz members Dana Ortt (guitar/vocals), Greg Diener (lead guitar) and Darin McCloskey (drums), the latter two also of Pale Divine, are reportedly set to enter the studio to record a full-length debut for 2015. For “Of Sanctum and Solace,” that trio teamed up with Bert Hall of Revelation/Against Nature for the bassist role, and while there’s no word as to whether or not that partnership was a one-time thing or a permanent situation, it says a lot for what Beelzefuzz accomplished that Righteous Bloom would start out with the likes of Hall contributing, his own legacy in the sphere of Maryland doom not inconsiderable.
“Of Sanctum and Solace” also gives a taste — again, a brief one — of the interplay between Ortt and Diener‘s guitars. Those who caught Beelzefuzz at their final shows over the last two or three months probably had a leg-up in this regard, but Righteous Bloom will mark the first time they appear on a studio recording together, and while they’re distinct in tone — Ortt‘s guitar-as-organ experimentations having been so core to the approach of the prior outfit — you can also get a feel for how they complement each other now and might continue to do so moving forward. That’s more toward the end of the song, which seems to come to an early close in a way that makes me wonder if there isn’t more to come in a longer version of the track that will perhaps show up when Righteous Bloom‘s debut LP surfaces in the New Year via The Church Within Records.
We’ve got a while to go before we find out, I guess. Till then, here’s “Of Sanctum and Solace” for your enjoyment:
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 16th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be long before we heard from some combination of former Beelzefuzz members that a new band was starting up. Righteous Bloom brings together guitarist/vocalist Dana Ortt, drummer Darin McCloskey and recently-added guitarist Greg Diener— also McCloskey‘s bandmate in Pale Divine — as a new three-piece with classic-rocking intent set to record by the end of this year for a new album due in 2015. As with Beelzefuzz‘s 2013 self-titled debut/swansong, the Righteous Bloom full-length is slated for release through The Church Within Records.
No word on whether Diener will stay on guitar or move to bass to cover the spot that in Beelzefuzz belonged to Pug Kirby, or if they’ll get someone else or go without bass altogether, but this is a preliminary “this band exists” kind of announcement, and the fact that they’re putting a recording plan out there at all means that one way or another work is already underway. I’ll be interested to hear the similarities and the differences between the two acts. You might note the logo is somewhat reminiscent. I’ll be waiting for t-shirts:
Righteous Bloom is a heavy rock band from North East MD formed in 2014 from the ashes of Beelzefuzz. Righteous Bloom incorporates a very unique style of heavy music similar to the classic sounds of early 70’s bands such as Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Black sabbath as well as contemporary acts Pentagram, Graveyard and Earthride. Still Righteous Bloom remain decidely independent with their own personal brand of melodic heavy rock and the David Byron meets John Lawton crossed with Mark Farner vocal stylings of singer and guitarist Dana Ortt. Dana Ortt along with drummer Darin McCloskey and lead guitarist Greg Diener (Pale Divine) will enter the studio by the end of 2014 to record a new album to be released on Church Within records early 2015.
Posted in Whathaveyou on September 9th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
After five years and one full-length album, progressive doom outfit Beelzefuzz have officially called it a day. The announcement was made earlier via Thee Facebooks, in a post with no words and only their logo with “2009-2014” across the bottom. At the time of this post, their reasons for disbanding aren’t known, nor is it known whether any explanation is forthcoming, but what really matters anyway is they’ve broken up, and that’s confirmed by the band itself.
Begun as a trio in 2009 with original drummer Rick Jenkins, with members Dana Ortt (vocals/guitar), Pug Kirby (bass) and Darin McCloskey (drums) — three players hailing from three different states: Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania — Beelzefuzz quickly became more than the sum of their parts. I was first tipped off to them by Sean McKee from Clamfight in 2011, but it would be a year after that when I first saw them, playing a set at Days of the Doomed II in 2012 abbreviated owing to car trouble. By the time they returned to the Wisconsin-based fest in 2013, they were conquering heroes, offering a take on doom that no one else in that very doomed lineup could bring to bear. They still had not yet released their debut album.
Beelzefuzz‘s Beelzefuzz(review here) arrived a few months later on The Church Within Records, a thick gatefold digipak, foldout poster lyric sheet and of course the songs themselves making it feel like the event it was. On that record, Ortt (interview here), Kirby and McCloskey conjured the most original stylization of Maryland doom I’ve heard in at least the last five years, fleshing out the sound of their earlier demos with a sense of poise that undercut the fact that it was their debut at the same time it spoke volumes of the potential for what they might do in the future. With cuts like “Reborn,” “All the Feeling Returns” and “Lonely Creatures” — the bizzaro stomp of which still echoes in my head frequently — it was one of 2013’s best, and will remain a special document by a group whose tenure was too short.
In fall 2013, they journeyed to Germany for a special slot at Hammer of Doom 8 in Wurzberg, and back home, they played Stoner Hands of Doom XIII in Virginia and, in Spring 2014, The Eye of the Stoned Goat 4 in Massachusetts. Shortly afterward, they added a second guitarist in Greg Diener, a longtime bandmate of McCloskey‘s in Pale Divine. Early last month, they were slated for a handful of dates alongside Kings Destroy and Eric Wagner‘s Blackfinger, but pulled out before the shows took place. Their final gig was Aug. 30 at the inaugural Vultures of Volume fest in New Castle, Delaware, alongside The Skull, Unorthodox, Pale Divine and many others.
Losing Beelzefuzz stings not just because they were a heavy band, or they wrote catchy songs, or had a fun stage presence — though all that was true — but because they had an immediately individual approach to their songwriting. Particularly in Ortt‘s tonal experimentation and the dynamic between the three players based around that, Beelzefuzz proved there was room for intricacy in doom’s well-trod paths, and though I’m glad I got to see them the several times I did, and I’m glad they got that record out, and glad there are videos and whatnot to enjoy, it’ll be some time before I manage to listen to Beelzefuzz again and not wonder what might have been.
Posted in Reviews on January 28th, 2014 by JJ Koczan
It’s unavoidable when it comes to Blackfinger, so one might as well just come out and say it: Yes, Eric Wagner used to be in Trouble, and as a member of that band he had a hand in crafting some of the best American doom ever and cementing a legacy that has spent three decades rippling outward from their Chicago hometown. All of this is true. It’s also true that Wagner isn’t in Trouble anymore, and while he’s also joined forces in The Skull with fellow Trouble alums Ron Holzner (bass) and Jeff “Oly” Olson (drums), the five-piece project Blackfinger has been looming in the background for several years now — Wagner was interviewed here about it in 2011, and the name was tossed around at least a year earlier than that in connection with Dark Star Records, who now handles the digital release of Blackfinger‘s self-titled debut, while The Church Within presses the CD and vinyl. On the album, Wagner is joined by guitarists Rico Bianchi and Doug Hakes, bassist Ben Smith (since replaced by Willie Max, also of Spillage) and drummer Larry Piatz, and those who’d approach it thinking they’ll get a port of Trouble‘s doom probably haven’t been paying attention either to Blackfinger‘s development or the last for records Trouble put out before Wagner left in 2008.
Blackfinger‘s Blackfingermay touch on some of the same ideas as material from Wagner‘s past — the short “All the Leaves are Brown,” which was also an advance single, has a classically driving head-down motor-riff, and cuts like “Why God” and “Till Death Do Us Part” offer some immediately familiar swinging rhythms — but the album overall presents a personality distinct from Trouble both in where it wants to go and how it gets there, however impossible it may be to view the one without the context of the other. Notably, the piano- and string-infused “As Long as I’m with You,” the particularly Floydian strums of “For One More Day” and the intimate acoustic-led finish of highlight “Keep Fallin’ Down” present a depth of mood and breadth of songwriting that, to compare, Trouble had little interest in displaying on their 2013 post-Wagner outing, The Distortion Field(review here). Taken in combination with rockers like “Yellowood,” with its lurching starts and stops, and guitar-fueled fare like “My Many Colored Days,” “Till Death Do Us Part” and “Here Comes the Rain,” Blackfingercomes across as more varied and a richer listening experience. Opener “I am Jon” and the fourth track, “On Tuesday Morning,” work to bridge the gap from one side to the other, so where it might otherwise come across as bipolar, the album flows well through these atmospheres.
Posted in Whathaveyou on December 18th, 2013 by JJ Koczan
I saw Serpent Venom in London in April. They were very, very fucking heavy and very, very fucking doomed. As I recall there had been some screwup with their equipment or something and they still demolished The Black Heart in Camden Town with a barrage of what was then new material. Good news today that that material will surface in the form of the second Serpent Venom LP, Of Things Seen and Unseen on The Church Within early next year, which the band recorded with Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studios.
The Sleeping Shaman have a track streaming from the record now that you can link to below as well. Behold:
SERPENT VENOM Stream New Track ‘Sorrow’s Bastard’; Second Album ‘Of Things Seen And Unseen’ To Be Unleashed In Early 2014
After playing out ‘Carnal Altar‘ for a couple of years, SERPENT VENOM thought it was about time they got stuck into writing a new record. They had some dramas to deal with in real life and shows to fulfill, so they worked through and then found themselves in a position to get cracking with new ideas. Having Roland join the band has brought a fresh outlook and as a result, the whole writing process came together very quickly.
And so in the first week of October 2013, SERPENT VENOM ventured to Skyhammer Studios to once again work with their mate and engineer extraordinaire Chris Fielding. The band walked out 7 days later with a new record in their hands and this is set to be unleashed through Church Within Records in early 2014.
SERPENT VENOM have progressed naturally, the songs are a lot darker, but they have retained the band’s identity and what they are about. The album is titled ‘Of Things Seen And Unseen‘ which has 8 tracks that they can’t wait for everyone to hear, but as a teaser of the heavy riffs to come, you can now stream the new track ‘Sorrow’s Bastard’ below:
