SERPENTCULT

One way to help bury the memories of a former band's implosion under horrific circumstances is to start a new and better project. Belgium's SERPENTCULT is that new and better project, following close on the heels of THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, the act disbanding after its lead vocalist, Steve Wackenier, was arrested in 2006 on charges of child rape. Taking the no-frills doom/sludge formula of THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN and then adding more arrangement variety and melody — the latter in large part due to Michelle Nocone's silky vocals — worked wonders for SERPENTCULT on the "Trident Nor Fire" EP (I Hate). It also built the foundation for a puissant full-length called "Weight of Light".

While Nocone's smooth and tuneful delivery will get most of the attention in reviews and interviews, it is only one, albeit important, element. Nocone's voice is indeed mellifluous; it makes individual tracks more memorable when combined with the melodic patterns. "Screams from the Deep" and "Templar" benefit greatly from those powerful pipes. Make no mistake though; "Weight of Light" is one heavy doom album. Frederic Caure's riffs are bone crunching and come with a vintage tube-amp tone (thanks also to producer Greg Chandler and mixer Billy Anderson). CANDLEMASS and CATHEDRAL are probably the best reference points, provided you aren't expecting the Second Coming of either of those bands. Then again, the song "Serpentcult" closes the album with trippy ELECTRIC WIZARD atmospherics, so the influences are many and (relatively) varied.

Incidentally, you will note that "Screams from the Deep" and "Red Dawn" are both re-recorded versions of the songs that appeared on "Trident Nor Fire". Compositionally speaking, the new versions are not vastly different, although the sound is darker and Nocone's vocals fit better within the heavy vibes of the new album.

The other weapon of note on "Weight of Light" is the bass playing of Steven Van Cauwenbergh. He does more than simply support the guitar; he holds his own little jam session on these tracks, simultaneously playing with and against Caure's riffs. Van Cauwenbergh does a great deal to deepen the impact of these songs, as you will hear on instrumental "Awaken the Kraken"; the tune matches trance-inducing airy parts with dirgy riffs and bubbling bass.

So should doom fanatics check out "Weight of Light?" Of course they should! The best part though is that SERPENTCULT does not play only to please the diehards. Those that enjoy doom amongst myriad other styles will appreciate "Weight of Light" as well.