Crafting their unique sound that blends black metal with death metal, Serpents has spawned a new genre of Dionysian, liberating the listener’s mind through musical and artistic expression, creating a movement for fans to follow. Temet Nosce is a masterfully crafted album that shows how Serpents continually redefines the blackened deathcore genre.
The epic that is Temet Nosce begins with the monstrous intro of “The Flaming One”, progressively increasing the tempo and adding layers before the vocals kick in to deliver powerful lyrics. Each second of the almost eight-minute song is packed with musical brilliance, each note perfectly placed to set the tone for the album and tease for what is about to come.
“The Lust of the Lawless” follows suit, filling the air with an atmospheric intro before the instruments blast down the doors and kick your face in. Continuing the journey, “The Lust of the Lawless” fits into the LP by keeping the sweeping tone but carves out a unique slot to make the song stand out against others within the genre. Allowing for each piece of the song to revel in the spotlight, every instrument has its moment to shine and be heard along the voyage that is the album.
Keeping the tone with an eerie intro, “The Salt and The Stone” picks up the pace with quick, heavy drums and an intoxicating guitar riff, playing through a few counts before the vocals are placed on top, fitting the beat perfectly to send chills down your back. Switching from the dark, blackened tone of the last two songs, “The Salt and The Stone” adds a new, more uplifting element for the catchier part of the song, splicing in harmonious clean vocals behind the screams.
“The Salt and The Stone” fades into the beginning of “The Black Sun”, an ethereal instrumental that transitions perfectly into “The Ecstasy of Nil”. The heavy instruments return, drumming kicking off the song before taking a quick respite to introduce another killer guitar riff, joining back in to match pace and commence the headbanging, laying the foundation for the vocals. The song moves through phases of blistering riffs and ground shaking drums to slow, mesmerizing ambiance, showing a prowess not often seen within music.
“The Peacock’s Tail” sits as another instrumental on the journey through Temet Nosce, filling theair with slow guitar and haunting piano and shifting slowly through a myriad of sounds that keep the unsettling tone of the song. The transition into “The Winds of Will” is seamless, beginning the progressive climb back into the heaviness that is found throughout the rest of the non-instrumental songs within the album. As with each of the previous songs, there are many layers within the song, a masterful weaving of complex tracks that fit together perfectly to create a beautiful voyage that grabs onto the listener and doesn’t let go.
The epic ends with the longest song on the album, “The Sunset and The Silhouette”. Beginning of the end starts with the prevailing sound of intros to the album, a slow buildup that sends goosebumps across the skin, waiting for the climax in anticipation. The pacing of the song is brilliantly done, slowing down and building back up continuously for multiple peaks, keeping the listener on the each of their seat throughout the entire song. “
The Sunset and The Silhouette” is the perfect ending for this masterpiece of an album, leaving the listener changed and itching for more.
If you are like me and realize that every genre sounds better when black metal elements are sprinkled in, this album is a must buy for your collection.
Members: A. Mikhail - Guitars & Vocals M. Ellegood - Lead Guitars S. Liston - Bass & Backing Vocals J. King - Drums & Percussion