Serpentshrine ~ Besetting the Alter

I have to be honest... Virginia Beach is the last place that comes to mind when I think about black metal but after listening to Serpentshrine's debut album Besetting the Alter (released January 2017) obviously I don't know shit about Virginia Beach. 

 Photo courtesy of Jessica Vivier

Founded in 2015 by Bryan Bosch, bass/vocals and Connor Randlett, guitar (BS - Studio Drums) Serpentshrine was born out of the hope of blending melodic/minor harmonies with raw black metal. But when you listen to Besetting the Alter from end to end you realize that there is a hell of a lot more than just black metal going on here. 

Right out of the gate I'm going to warn you that if you are a black metal "purist" (or just a douche) you're probably going to listen to Serpentshrine and bitch that it's not "real" black metal. I'll admit that you're probably right but that doesn't make you any less of a douche and you're probably missing the fucking point. Serpentshrine has clearly been influenced by a lot of genres some of which are obviously intentional and others are most likely just a product of the extreme metal landscape. 

When I asked Bryan about bands that influenced Serpentshrine he named a few such as Watain, Gorgoroth and Immortal. All of whom I can hear on Besetting the Alter, but beyond that... deeper and I think more importantly I heard the influence of bands like Venom, Mayhem and some Celtic Frost. I also picked up a bit of death, speed and even thrash metal influence in the vain of old school Metallica (before they sucked) all wrapped up in a very American delivery....... honestly I think it's this aspect of Serpentshrine's music I enjoy more than anything else.

The first time I listened to Besetting the Alter I spent a good portion of it scratching my head trying to figure out what I was hearing. It was like trying to remember a name that is on the tip of your tongue but for whatever fucking reason you just can't remember it. Then it hit me... Venom! This reminds me of listening to old Venom albums. The vocals weren't the same but the tempo was there with the traditional hooky chorus/verse structure that is popular in American metal music. A few songs later I picked up a little Mayhem and a guitar riff or two that reminded me of old Obituary or Death. All of this was going on in the background while more modern influences were obviously present and much more intentional on the surface. Now before you run off thinking, "what a fucking mess" trust me when I tell you it's not. In fact what I really enjoyed about Serpentshrine is that they have somehow managed to tap into so many styles spanning several decades and knowingly (or otherwise) package it all together in a really well rounded album.

Lyrically Serpentshrine is right on target and they paint hellishly vivid pictures with every song. Nothing ever felt forced or out of place with the music. I wouldn't consider the vocals "true" shrieking black metal but more of what I like to call clean-scream. They have that edge but you can still understand most of what is being said. Not that it's a bad thing and for some people it might even be a plus. The growling and screaming are presented extremely well and I can honestly say that I've heard bands from major labels who don't pull this off as well as Serpentshrine.

Meanwhile each song on the album is unique and has it's own sound which again is a major plus in my book. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to an album and thought, every damn song sounds the same. Not here... Serpentshrine has crafted nine tracks that are unique unto themselves, well balanced and entirely capable of standing on their own. Of the nine Unholy Affliction and The Serpent's Lair are my personal favorites. Unholy affliction is layered and definitely a full force black metal song while The Serpent's Lair is vocally the most rich and complex.

Overall there is just a ton of great stuff going on here and for a freshman effort I was really impressed. I personally wouldn't call Serpentshrine traditional black metal due to a few features that are missing, most notably the lo-fi guitar sound and a lack of tremolo picking. I also could have done with a little more blast beat in the drum department but that's just me. But all of that aside what is presented here is a fantastic foundation to build upon and according to Surpentshrine's Bryan Bosch we won't have long to wait. The band is currently working on a more atmospheric EP that should be out sometime in 2018. They will be releasing it first on Bandcamp and then later for digital distribution on Amazon, iTunes and Spotify. One thing is for sure. When they drop the EP I will be sure to feature it here on Cemetery Lament.

Connect with Surpentshrine...
https://www.facebook.com/HailtheSerpent/

https://serpentshrine.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFQtjRDsQUQOh7vIHqSO3Q