ALBUM REVIEW: World Of Sorrows – Dungeon Serpent
There’s been an increase of rock and metal projects orchestrated by a single person. NINE INCH NAILS, DESTROYER, and MIDGAR to name a few. Emerging from British Columbia, DUNGEON SERPENT release World Of Sorrows on July 16th. Created by Arawn in 2018, DUNGEON SERPENT offer us a slab of brutal carnage for their debut. Compiled of five expansive tracks, this world we’re thrown into is chock full of sorrow. Yet this moroseness leaves us wholly energised.
The “sombre procession to the grave” begins with lead single Necroscope. Created by British author Brian Lumley, a necroscope communicates with the dead with no physical interference (unlike necromancers). DUNGEON SERPENT’s Necroscope bludgeons us with aggressive riffs. Arawn‘s vocals are reminiscent of souls stuck in eternal damnation. This delectable chunk of oppressive death metal shows Arawn’s talent for composition. Sprawling across seven minutes, sorrow stricken growls and idling guitars are subtle but sublime.
Let’s not be mistaken, subtlety doesn’t run rife in this repertoire. Ripped from ROTTING CHRIST’s play book, filthy riffs obliterate all in their path. The dark, dingy soundscape of Decay reads like the sped up decomposition of a corpse. As if to combat this bleak tableau of death, Cosmic Sorcery’s much slower introduction whisks us away much like a mother ushering a child away from watching lewd activities.
Arawn’s visions of far off worlds are wondrous, visions we could lose ourselves in for hours. The replayability factor of World Of Sorrows comes in spades. It’s nigh on impossible to pick up everything in a single listen. The only short coming across the 35-minute run time is the programmed drums needing to sit higher in the mix. Yet the power they bring when focused on is bone rattling.
The record’s shortest song, Immortal Incubation, still weighs in at a hefty four and a half minutes. Though it’s nothing to scoff at. Macabre tremolos oscillate like the blades of an industrial meat grinder. Desperate to sink its teeth into something succulent, melodic licks drag the song down. The bouquet of Immortal Incubation is misery laced with bitterness.
Closing acts Cosmic Sorcery and titular World Of Sorrows demand successive listening. The druid conjured in the former reminds us of a sinister Yen Sid of FANTASIA. DUNGEON SERPENT’s rendition of this particular sorcerer’s apprentice summons demons of terror. The tower flooded with water contaminated by grimy blast beats and bubbling vocals. With tremolos which infect the nervous system, we traverse into the new world. From here, DUNGEON SERPENT treat us to their denouement. Instrumental World Of Sorrows comes in at a gargantuan 11 and a half minutes. While daunting, the titular closer is some of the finest melodic death metal this year.
It isn’t often a debut album stuns like this one. It’s also uncommon for a melodic death metal debut to harness power like this. In 35 minutes, DUNGEON SERPENT build a breathtaking galaxy for this planet to inhabit. It is impressive to have a soundscape as complete as this so early on in a project’s career. On July 16th, allow yourself the simple indulgence of languishing in misery for half an hour.
Rating: 8/10
World Of Sorrows is out now via Nameless Grave Records.
Follow DUNGEON SERPENT on Bandcamp.