Verminous Serpent – The Malign Covenant (Blackened Death Folk)

 

Uh oh, tis a collab folks. Well this review started out bad, but this particular collab starts, and also ends, well. Consisting of various members of the Irish koovault wvndergrovnd, Verminous Serpent is new to death metal theatre with this first full-length. Whether or not it continues beyond The Malign Convenant is not a concern, because should you need a further taste and they drop off the face of the Earth just head to one of the other bands these dudes are in: Malthusian, Primordial, or Slidhr. I normally don’t drop names but toss those three together and basically you get Verminous Serpent.

   

So what’s that mean exactly? Just mix together three styles: blackened death metal, black metal, and folk metal, in that particular order. The Malignant Covenant is exactly what comes out of the resultant concoction. It’s an unusual mix, at first, until Verminous Serpent’s style begins to surface and you realize hey, this isn’t a collab, it’s actually a band! There’s quite a bit to digest, so let me be brief before you do it yourself; expect raw, primitive drumming, riffing that lurks like a sulfurous fog, and vocals that range from clean and sonorous to horrifying and cavernous. An important detail is that this isn’t about speed and density, it’s focused on transforming its sounds within the listener’s perception of them. You’re going to toss out a lot of assumptions with this one, so just absorb.

 

Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls

Verminous Serpent – The Malign Convenant
Amor Fati Productions
Cover Art: Carl Olof Petersen
4.3 / 5