Review: Serpens Luminis “Bright Euphoria” [Goathorned Productions]

Anything that emerges from the dark corridors of Goathorned Productions is likely to be a hellish proposition even for the most committed black metal follower.  Serpens Luminis certainly tick those flaming boxes with this latest release Bright Euphoria, a three-track mini album.

Their first offering into the Luciferian dark waters came two years ago, Usque Ad Sideras et Usque Ad Inferos, being a split release with fellow Swiss barbarians Nansis and Haruspex.

Bright Euphoria sees Serpens Luminis hog the limelight themselves, although of course in reality there’s very few moments of light to be found here, the album kicking off with the sonic stench of “The Dawn Fragrances” which staggers restlessly like a drunken sailor trying to keep his balance in particular choppy waters.

Singer FJD barks out his snarling sermons with the conviction of a deranged medieval preacher, hollering into the ether, without being entirely sure if anyone is listening. While these bestial barks are encased in layers of reverbed fuzz there are a few glimpses of rhythmic sorcery to be found if you peer through the heavy haze for long enough.

The title track, and the shorter of the twisted triumvirate, has a spellbinding intro that entices you into the darkness and once the guttural roar breaks through a satisfying rush of rhythmic battery pours down like lava spewing from a particularly malevolent volcano. A brief mid-track pause is shattered by a flurry of blastbeats as the tempo hits overdrive and the barks take on an even more demented dynamic.

With enough blasphemous messages and occult symbolism to trigger the alarm bells inside the Vatican, Serpens Luminis emphasise their demonic intent at every opportunity, none more so than on the suffocating 11-minute album closer “A Wreathed Skull”. With guitar licks likely to bruise if you get in their way, there’s an almost unedifying atmosphere in play here, haunting dissonant cries just about audible through the midst of manic misery and menace.