SERPENTCULT (Trident Nor Fire) 10"/MCD
Out of the ashes of Thee Plague Of Gentlemen (still a great loss for the Doom Metal scene) comes SERPENTCULT, and this is their debut for I Hate Records. It's good to see, that the ex-members of TPOG didn't gave up after what happened, but they changed a few things. The most significant change (apart of the new name) are the vocals, because SERPENTCULT have a female vocalist, and that women is doing a very good job. I really like the contrast between this massive heavy downtuned wall-of-sound and Michelle Colon's crystal clear vocals.
The rest of the sound isn't that far away from TPOG, just a little bit more up-tempo and more grooves, but they still know, when it's time to slow things down. 'Trident Nor Fire' contains three songs plus an outstanding cover-version from Uriah Heep's 'Rainbow Demon', and for my taste it's a damn fine new start. I think, they have more to offer in the future, and a full-length with show the full potential of SERPENTCULT. Meanwhile I will enjoy this appetizer very often! This MCD has been released in a vinyl edition with gatefold sleeve, too.
(KK)