Heart Of The Serpent/Loathing/2021 Full Length Review

 

  Heart  Of  The  Serpent  are  a  band  from  the  United  States  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  on  this  recording  plays  an  old  school  form  of  black  metal  with  some  depressive  and  thrash  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2021  album  "Loathing"  which  will  be  released  in  September.

  A  very  dark  yet  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  faster  musical  direction  which  also  uses  a  great  amount  of  tremolo  picking  and  blast  beats  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  raw  feeling.  Vocals  are  mostly  high  pitched  yet  grim  sounding  black  metal  screams  along  with  the  slower  sections  of  the  songs  also  showing  more  of  a  depressive  edge.

  Growls  can  also  be  heard  at  times  while  the  riffs  also  add  in  a  decent  amount  of  dark  sounding  melodies.  Some  of  the  music  is  also  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  second  wave  era  along  with  the  songs  also  adding  in  a  decent  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  also  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  album  from  Heart  Of  The  Serpent  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  old  school  and  depressive  black  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Flaying  The  Feeble,  Discarding  The  Weak".  8  out  of  10.

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  When  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  also  done  in  a  very  dark  yet  melodic  style  along  with  one  song  also  introducing  clear  vocals  and  whispers  onto  the  recording  as  well  as  some  of  the  riffing  also  adding  in  elements  of  thrash  metal,  when  synths  are  utilized  they  also  give  the  music  more  of  an  atmospheric  feeling  and  a  couple  of  the  songs  are  also instrumentals  and  also  adds  in  a  brief  use  of  classical  guitars.  The  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dystopian,  Nephilim,  darkness  and  misanthropy  themes.

  

Heart Of The Serpent Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

We are a two-person black metal band. We began writing and rehearsing in 2016, but the recent announcement of our album release has been the first public mention of our existence.


2.You have an album coming out on Halloween, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

I think your review described our sound quite the same as I would; it's a very raw modern take on the 90s style of black metal. That said, there isn't really any one "sound" we're trying to emulate. We write what sounds good to us and if it gets categorized in the same area as older black metal that's fine. Many bands today feel a need to "rebel" against the traditional black metal sound and end up making music that sounds disingenuous and weak.


3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Some of the songs are fictitious narratives, two of which are expanded into full stories and will be included with the album. Without taking up too much space here, the subjects include the origins of human decomposition and a different take on cryptozoology.
Other lyrics deal with my opinions on the human race in general. This album's title "Contempt" can be taken as a one-word summary of those feelings.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Heart Of The Serpent'?

I like to leave meanings of lyrics/names/etc. somewhat open to interpretation, but one of the more interesting interpretations that has been presented to me is that the Biblical "Serpent" was the first example of a creature thinking for itself, so "Heart of the Serpent" could be interpreted as the embodiment of individuality -- the opposite of a herd mentality.


5.What part of the mid west is the band located in?

This is not important at this time.


6.Has the band done any live shows or has this been only a studio project so far?

Only a studio project. I would like to play live but I don't believe in playing to a backing tape so with only two members it's currently not feasible. Trying to find enough useful members to flesh out a full band has proven in the past to be an exercise in futility.


7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I'd be interested in finding a record label on which to release physical copies of the album; at present it's digital-only. We haven't had any offers yet but then no one knew we existed until about a week ago.


8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?

It's still early, so we'll see how it turns out. Basically I write the sort of black metal that I would like to listen to, so anyone with similar taste to mine should enjoy this.


9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

I have started writing some of the songs that will be on the next album, and while it won't be a major departure from this first album I think the biggest difference will be more extremes in tempo. This album was largely mid-to-fast paced; the newer material tends to either be faster or slower.


10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

My favorites of the genre aren't anything too surprising; I'd say Burzum, Arckanum, and Mayhem are my top three. I also enjoy folk/pagan metal, especially bands like Arkona and Primordial which occasionally blend darker elements into their music. Outside of the metal realm I've been listening to big band jazz and classical music such as Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.


11.Does Occultism play any role in your music?

I suppose you could say the lyrics of "To Repay What Has Been Given" have an occult element to them, but that's a story rather than an expression of belief. I find Occultism and other beliefs or religions interesting but do not personally involve myself with any of them.


12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for your interest in us and thank you to everyone reading this.
Our album is currently available for pre-order at www.heartoftheserpent.com.

Heart Of The Serpent/Contempt/2017 Full Length Review

  Heart  Of  The  Serpent  are  a  band  from  the  mid  western  part  of  the  United  States  that  plays  a  very  raw  form  of  black  metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  self  released  2017  album  "Contempt"  which  will  be  released  on  Halloween.

  Heavy  guitar  riffing  starts  off  the  album  and  after  a  few  minutes  grim  black  metal  screams  are  added  onto  the  recording  while  the  tremolo  picking  gives  the  songs  a  more  raw  feeling  along  with  whispers  also  being  used  briefly  and  when  guitar  solos  and  leads  are  utilized  they  are  done  in  a  very  melodic  fashion.

  A  decent  amount  of  melody  can  be  heard  in  the  guitar  riffing  while  the  faster  sections  of  the  songs  bring  in  a  decent  amount  of  blast  beats  along  with  the  tracks  also  bringing  in  a  great  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them.

  Some tracks  also  bring  in  a  small  amount  of  acoustic  guitars  while  a  lot  of  the  music is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  but  done  with  a  more  modern  take  on  the  genre  and  as  the  album  progresses  ambient  style  synths  can  also  be  heard  briefly  along  with  an  instrumental  before  returning  back  to  a  heavier  direction  and  a  couple  of  the  tracks  are  very  long and  epic  in  length.

  Heart  Of  The  Serpent  plays  a  style  of  black  metal  that  is  very  raw,  melodic  and  traditional  sounding  as  well  as  showing  influences  from  both  the  European  and  American  forms  of  the  genre,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  raw  while  the  lyrics  cover  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Heart  Of  The  Serpent  are  a  very  great  sounding  traditional  black  metal  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Deconstruction"  and  "To  Repay  What  Has  Been  Given".  8  out  of  10.

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