ALBUM REVIEW: Serpentine Dominion - "Serpentine Dominion"

By: Hunter Young

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 28/10/216

Label: Metal Blade Records

The shredding from Adam D. is spot on, Fisher absolutely destroys and Shannon Lucas does his best throughout the record to show up on a Richter Scale report, laying his, expectedly monstrous shellacking upon his kit.  “Serpentine Dominion” is the perfect dichotomy split between brutality and beauty and these gents have laid down what could be a contender for best debut album, Serpentine Dominion absolutely nails it to the wall.

“Serpentine Dominion” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Intro
2. The Vengeance in Me
3. Vanquished Unto Thee
4. Divide, Conquer, Burn, and Destroy
5. Sovereign Hate
6. On the Brink of Devastation
7. Jagged Cross Legions
8. Prelude
9. This Endless War

The Review:

On paper, super groups sound AMAZING. What's not to love about members of your favourite bands getting together and unleashing musical loads into your ear canals? Usually, they are ok at best; that many super egos are also a recipe for disaster. However! That has changed with the SUPERBgroup, Serpentine Dominion! Featuring Adam D. (Killswitch Engage), George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher (Cannibal Corpse), and Shannon Lucas (ex-Black Dahlia Murder), these gents have laid down what could be a contender for best debut album from a new band.

The style mixes technical death metal and more modern core in a way that actually feels like adults made it. I feel good listening to it, and it seems extremely solid from first listen onward. Adam D. nails some of the best shredding, right out of the gate, with the Intro blasting some gorgeous neo-classical guitar that just dances through the air; and then it hammers into the meat of what Serpentine Dominion is about: the brutality. The shredding is spot on, Fisher absolutely destroys and Shannon Lucas does his best throughout the record to show up on a Richter Scale report, laying his, expectedly monstrous shellacking upon his kit. 

For a 38 minute record, give or take, 'Serpentine Dominion' covers tons of ground rather quickly. With an intro and prelude consisting of much more classical and virtuoso bents, all the way over to technical and modern death metal, with -Core flair added as icing between the layers on this cake, the album has a wide pattern that strikes the listener any number of ways. Splitting vocals about 70/30, Fisher and D. nail a perfect balance between brutality and beauty, the dichotomy split as well as Adam D.'s guitar work. He highlights everything in both lights, from the distortedly huge chugs into lightning fast fret runs (“Jagged Cross Legions”, “The Vengeance in Me”), even incorporating some superb tapping technique as found on “Divide, Conquer, Burn, and Destroy”. As for the shred hounds, the entire album is a real highlight, as each song simply has some huge spurts of stellar musicianship. 

The album has a very alive feel to it, and, considering the well balanced blend between the new and old styles, it has another huge characteristic in it's favor: it feels like the parties included had FUN. Side projects should always have a feel that the members had a blast making it, and that they needed a break from their main gigs; it makes the atmosphere pleasant and lends itself to a great finished product. Mr. D. is known for having fun with anything he's part of, and with the current way KSE sounds, this must have been much needed for him. Mr's Grinder and Lucas just made it absolutely perfect. The vocals sound like a coarse and roaring flamethrower, in that classic CC style, married with clean vocals, virtuosic guitar, all backed up by a man who could lead small nations to win wars with his drumming, the self-titled debut by Serpentine Dominion absolutely nails it to the wall.

“Serpentine Dominion” is available everywhere now

Band info: facebook