It seems as of these past few years, there has been an influx of deathcore bands incorporating symphonic elements into their sound and personally, I have been enjoying as a fan of both symphonic black metal and deathcore. Many bands however, seem to have a problem balancing the blend and it can be a downfall of what could be a solid release. Serpents on the other hand have perfected this with their sound. The blackened deathcore group have been around since 2010 and have put out two previous full lengths, Born of Ishtar in 2013 and Pestilence in 2014, and both were brilliant pieces of art.
Five years later, the band has presented us this offering titled Temet Nosce, and this album is all around a masterpiece. With this album, the group have broken forth into a more blackened symphonic sound and less deathcore vibe. The keyboards are a lot more present with haunting melodies dancing around the black metal styled tremolo riffs and the drums add a pounding assault to the epicness. The vocals are reminiscent of older Old Man’s Child mixed with some Septicflesh.
Each track is also longer in duration than most bands of the same realm but it adds to the effect of great storytelling done by the mastermind behind Serpents, Andrew Mikhail (ex-Oceano, Defiler). Tracks such as “The Flaming One” and “The Salt and The Stone” stand out as both are unique in comparison as “The Flaming One” is more along the lines of symphonic black metal in sound while “The Salt and The Stone” sound like they would fit in with a Septicflesh album track. Each track on this album is like a different chapter that is both different yet perfectly fit.
With all of this said, there is absolutely no flaws with this album. This is exactly how blackened symphonic deathcore and metal should be done. Each track on this album will entrance you, keep you questioning and will be stuck on repeat and that’s a promise. If you are a fan of black metal, death metal, deathcore, epic piano and keyboard work and just metal in general, then add Temet Nosce to your collection, you won’t be disappointed.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
Review by Neil Andersen
Purchase here: https://weareserpents.bandcamp.com/
