Band: Hod
Title: Serpent
Label: Ibex Moon Records
Distribution: Gordeon Music
Release date: 19/12/2009
Review: CD

Hod are a young band with ‘old’ members – all of them being involved with important names within the American Metal scene: Bjorn ‘Bolverk’ Haga was in Necrovore, one of the most important bands at the very beginning of the extreme Metal scene, as  well as in Thornspawn (and also involved with rehtaF ruO); Beer Reebs is known from Pillcrusher, and Punk band Rancid Vat; Carl ‘Lord Necron’ Snyder is known from Black masters Thornspawn; Dennis Sanders used to be in Exulcerate; and ‘Dirty’ Derick Rivers used to work with GG Allin before as live musician.
Last year, this quintet recorded Serpent, to be released on John McEntee (Incantation / Immolation / Funerus / Revenant)’s Ibex Moon-label. The album, lasting for 36:47 minutes, is a rather varying Death Metal-effort with elements from both the old school as well as the current (Texan / Californian) scene. The tempo varies a lot, even though the average speed is rather mid-tempo-fast. Serpent, however, doesn’t bring something renewing at all, yet at the same time it isn’t another average and boring ‘heard-it-all-before’-release (making abstraction of the sometimes too predictable riffs and rhythms), and the attention for technical skills lifts the quality up to a higher level. But the certain present lack of originality might bother some in this band’s case, I think, because I’m sure these members are able to do better (going for both performance and compositional structures).
Or: listening before buying, but please do give it a chance…

80/100

Ivan Tibos.