SERPENT RISE (Brazil)
"Gathered By..."
(Nuktemeron Productions)
Release date: 2018 (originally released in 1998/1994/1995)
Genre: Gothic metal, doom metal, atmospheric metal
Links:
SoundCloud
SERPENT RISE is a Brazilian band that started out way back in the golden era of their genre. The basis of the band was formed in early 1993 when singer Agnaldo Gomes and Júlio Wojciechowski (guitars/bass/keyboards) wanted to make music that could shed light on and express the harsh and difficult feelings about the darker aspects of existence, in an era when more familiar acts like Cathedral, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost did the same.
The band developed into a quartet format, but despite of a handful demo releases and an album throughout the nineties, they never managed to establish a stable line up, but did instead a lot of live performances and shared festival stages with Anathema and Flesh Grinder, among others. The band reportedly have managed to maintain a stable and consistent line up that have worked on new material, and hopefully we will be granted a new album soon, well over twenty years since "Gathered By...Kharma", their only album release to date, came out.
The album never received any support from the label in charge of the release, and sadly, SERPENT RISE became another example of poor record label work. However, the album has been rereleased with the addition of the "Anastenárides" (1994) and "Travellin' Free..." (1995) demos. All tracks have been remastered and reissued as a double CD with a number of previously unpublished photos in the booklet, and if you haven't experienced the band before, "Gathered By..." is a good place to start.
CD number one contains the "Gathered By...Kharma" album, and the opening track is the 10 minute long "In the Cosmic Sea". The track has, along with the six a rich variety of textures, from thundering drums and epic riffs to melancholic clean guitars and whispering vocals. A track with many contrasts, different rhythm changes and occasional strings and keyboards, just to add color to an already dark and gloomy musical scenery.
Agnaldo Gomes stands out with his work behind the microphone, as he manages to express a lot of different emotions in his vocals, which in turn creates more texture in the way the songs are put together. Even in the more quiet moments where he does just whispers, a low voice doing spoken word during the gloomier sections, harsh growls and even more desperate and almost frantic screams in the darker parts of the album. Combined with the variety in song structures, and with the tastefull additions of strings and keyboards, he makes sure that the seven tracks on "Gathered by...Kharma" never get tedious, as some doom oriented albums often are.
Production wise the album is not anywhere near sounding polished, but neither did many of the other albums that even today remain as classics within the genre. But as long as a painter manages to express his or her art and at the same time captures a unique emotion, does it matter if the canvas has a few scratches in it?
The second disc is a compilation of two demo tapes; "Anastenárides" from 1994 and "Travellin' Free...", released the following year. With the exception of "Gardens of Illusion" and "Misericordium" all the tracks on this second half of the album have already appeared on the first disc, but here we have them in demo versions, and for anyone who missed out on the originals, here is a golden chance to get a hold on a few curiosities.
This double CD is a great way for new fans of SERPENT RISE to discover their earlier material, and at the same time get their hands om a few forgotten gems in their discography. This was my first meeting with their music, and along the journey I have been taken back to those glorious nineties when dark melancholic metal was in its prime. Even though they sadly got neglected by their label and consequently remained unnoticed by potential fans, they were, and still are for sure a band that deserved more recognition in the gothic and doom metal scene.
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
Tracklist:
CD 1 - "Gathered By...Kharma"
1. In the Cosmic Sea
2. ...Kharma
3. Mistress of My Paradise
4. Reflex in the Last Mirror
5. Betrayer God
6. Travellin' Free...
7. During the Eternity
CD 2 - "Anastenárides/Travellin' Free..."
1. Mistress of My Paradise
2. Garden of Illusion
3. Misericordium
4. Betrayer God
5. Mistress of My Paradise (funeral version)
6. Travellin' Free...in the Cosmic Sea
SERPENT RISE:
- Agnaldo Gomes, vocals
- Júlio Wojciechowski, guitar, bass and keyboards
- Luís Henrique, drums
- Cristian Lovatto, bass
Doom or be Doomed \m/
SvarSlett