In The Company Of Serpents – Lux
Release Date: 3rd September 2021
Label: Petrichor
Bandcamp
Genre: Sludge, Stoner, Doom.
FFO: YOB, High On Fire.
Review By: Martha Skourteli
When I first read the description accompanying the songs of Lux by In The Company Of Serpents I really didn’t know what to expect. “Their music inhabits the strange fringes between sludge metal and sprawling spaghetti western scores…” was written and I was obviously puzzled what “spaghetti western scores” would have to do with something labeled sludge metal. Not being a musician myself, but just a humble fan that only knows feelings I get from music and images I’m painting in my imagination while listening, I was really preoccupied towards this album and surely enough I delayed listening for a couple of days. But in this life never say never and don’t judge a book by its cover (big clichés really) ‘cause you just don’t know, even if you think you do!!
In The Company Of Serpents is an American Sludge/Doom/Stoner band originating from Denver, Colorado. They’ve been around for a decade now and they have released 4 full length albums and 1 EP. The band caught the attention of dutch record label Petrichor and their upcoming full length Lux is actually a re-release of the limited self release of 2020.
Lux is the latin word for light which in the central idea of the album is the meaning of a Prima Materia (raw material) as the root of everything. The frontman of the band, Grant Netzorg, relates personally also to the title of the album and the presence of light in the main idea since it is also the translation of his daughter’s name. Therefore the album is also like a message to her as the light of his life. Personally I find this absolutely beautiful!
The album consists of 8 songs totaling to a bit over 44 minutes of music that moves impressively well between strong, heavy parts and calm interludes that don’t sound strange. I listened once (as I mentioned before I was skeptical and preoccupied) and then I just continued listening and found myself saying “hey, that’s good!”.
The Fool’s Journey. Nice slow, calm intro and that’s where I got immediately that western music essence I was wondering about. Half way it becomes really doomy and the stoner heaviness is just crawling. The last 1 and half minutes are significantly faster, but the sense after listening is that of a 10 minute song that didn’t disappoint you.
Scales Of Maat. I found it very interesting, the idea of the song standing on the verge of Funeral Doom in terms of speed in the second half. The first of my three favorites on the album.
Daybreak. A bit over a minute of a nice interlude that presents an instrument called Viola d’Amore, played by Paul Primus of Colorado Symphony, that adds a touch of folk to the final result with an instrument which was very popular in the baroque period. Quoting from the band’s bandcamp “It’s a type of viola which uses drone strings beneath the fingerboard to vibrate in sympathy with the other strings. It is tuned to the somber tuning of DADFAD with A=432hz. That tuning is known to guitarists as the “Skip James tuning,” as that bluesman was famous for utilizing it to wonderful, eerie effect in his songs like “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues” and “Crow Jane,” and it’s the tuning which four of the album’s songs employ. However, it bears mentioning that it is said in certain esoteric circles that A=432hz is the vibration at which all of creation resonates, and thus is sometimes called “the God frequency.” This whole album was recorded with our tuners calibrated to A=432hz, and this is meant to consciously tie in to the theme of Prima Materia, or a fundamental root-essence, that runs throughout the whole record”.
A different tune that you’d listen to, probably next to the campfire you lit one night in the desert lands.
The Chasm Of The Mouth Of All. Reminds me a bit of Metallica’s Load at times. There’s nothing wrong about this of course. A great song highlighting the central idea of Lux “all is light, all is sound, all is mind”!
Lightchild. The song that’s obviously written and addressed to Grant Netzorg’s daughter. Heartfelt lyrics expressing only part of what’s in a father’s soul because such deep feelings can never be expressed in whole. I loved the tune and that’s the second of my three highlighted songs in the album.
Archonic Manipulation. Heavy, nicely flowing good metal that makes me think “I like this!”. Why do I need to say more for something that sounds good? Third choice from Lux.
Nightfall. The second interlude. Similar to Daybreak it has this beautiful viola d’Amore and the beautiful folk calmness we heard before.
Prima Materia. Back to the main idea about the raw material being the root of everything. It’s actually an ode to light and wraps up the album leaving you with an interesting sense that you definitely enjoyed what you just listened to.
After hearing the songs I got perfectly what they meant describing their style. Musically there is sufficient heaviness, parts where we’re about to get in a punkier path, the essence of western movies scores and interesting, in my opinion, vocals that are not growls/grunts (with a few exceptions where it goes that way) but something I like to call “the heavier edition of Lemmy”.
A promising band that deserves more attention, though their local acceptance is really good, and will hopefully get some more recognition in the near future.
(4.5 / 5)
