Written by Zax
- Serpent Of Gnosis
- As I Drink From the Infinite Well of Inebriation
- Death Grind
- USA
- 2019
- 7.8/10
Newly formed deathgrind unit Serpent Of Gnosis might not have been around for a long time as a band, but they certainly have some seasoned players on board. The band features members of Job For A Cowboy and The Black Dahlia Murder. They are also signed to 1126 records, a small Massachusetts based hardcore label most known for their work with I AM and Kublai Khan. All of this sounds like an odd combination on paper, but it works so damn well.
Deathgrind is a genre that combines death metal and grindcore, and it’s easily one of the best sub-genres out there. It takes grindcore and gives it some better production along with some very metallic tendencies. I just wish there was more of it – there aren’t a ton of bands actively pursuing the genre, which makes this band all the more exciting.
Sonically, this album is very raw, very chaotic, and very frantic. Full Of Hell and Nails certainly seem like they could’ve been influences here. The drums are pummeling you with their ridiculous speeds, the guitars come through with very chunky fuzzed out riffs and squealing lead work, and the bass is loud, low, and punchy. That bass is very present in the mix which is something I always appreciate – more bands out there need to be flexing those bass players. All of this is combined into a track-list where most tracks clock in under 2 minutes long. It does only have a 21 minute run time, but it’s a damn good 21 minutes, a total assault on the ears.
This cover is a work by Mark Richards of Heavy Hand who besides having the perfect style for grind music, also has worked with acts I’ve covered before such as Gurt. – Carcassbomb
Vocalist Jonny Davy, who is also the vocalist of Job For A Cowboy delivers a very sinister and evil sounding performance. It almost sounds inhuman and I love it. It’s pretty unique actually, which is a big plus. I really enjoy the production here too – it balances the rawness of grind with the cleaner textures of modern death metal for a perfect balance, which is the beauty of deathgrind. There are also sparse bits of dark ambient that come in at the beginning and ends of certain tracks that give the album a dark rustic atmosphere. Little touches like that really can change the way you hear an album. My only complaint about the album is a very small one. I like every track on here, but “Cognitivity” is easily a weaker point. Being that it’s 4 minutes long and slower than all the other tracks it sounds weird in the context of the album, despite it being good by itself.
So yeah, apparently when you combine deathgrind with some extreme metal powerhouses and a tiny hardcore label you get a damn good album! A much needed one as well to give me my deathgrind fix. This will definitely be seeing some rotation while i’m at the gym. It’s fast, chaotic, and an absolute rager.
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